bekim99 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 first off id like to say i love quality sound and total control over my individual speakers. so im confused about watts going to a speaker. the klipsch site says you should have more power going to a speaker than it can handle otherwise youd be clipping them right??? so i bought a denon 5800 supposably it give out170 wpc? why then are guys saying on this forum all you need is 20-30 wpc to make the reference line come to life. so 20-30 wattscoming from a external amp or tube amp put out better juice than my denon then?? thanks guys and gals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 the klipsch site says you should have more power going to a speaker than it can handle otherwise youd be clipping them right??? I'm under the impression that logic holds, regardless of speaker brand why then are guys saying on this forum all you need is 20-30 wpc to make the reference line come to life Cause the average volume will probably be VERY loud with 20/30 watts yet the extra watts on hand will be helpful to prevent clipping which as above, you realize might damage your speaker so 20-30 wattscoming from a external amp or tube amp put out better juice than my denon then?? A tube amp might sound a bit different, but as long as the power is the same, I'd say there is little difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted March 23, 2009 Moderators Share Posted March 23, 2009 As much as we would like to believe, our receivers are not putting out the watts they claim. I've read many times that for most listening, we are only using a few watts to drive our speakers. The extra watts come into play during dynamic music, drum reproduction, explosions during movies etc. The benefit of an external amp is mainly in the power supply. It has a dedicated power supply, just for the amp. A receiver uses a power supply for it's internal amp as well as sound processing and decoding. It's a lot to ask of a receiver to drive 5 or 7 speakers at 170 watts/ch. I've only had personal experience once with my system. I had an Onkyo 100 watt/ch receiver hooked up to my RF-83's. I had the chance to borrow a QSC external amp at 265 watts/ch. My previous house had a poor design for the living room. The TV was against a freestanding wall and my speakers were out in the open with no wall behind them. Needless to say, the RF-83's produced very little bass. When I added the QSC, bass improved very much, even at low volume. There was more clarity and separation of instruments. My Yamaha RX-V1800 is rated at 130 watts/ch. As great as it sounds and as much power as it has pushing my 5.1 system, I truly believe I would benefit from adding a separate amp, even just to the front three speakers and let the Yammie only power the surrounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyboy Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I truly believe I would benefit from adding a separate amp, even just to the front three speakers and let the Yammie only power the surrounds. Yes it would definitely benefit!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted March 23, 2009 Moderators Share Posted March 23, 2009 Yes it would definitely benefit!!! Someday when my budget allows. Right now, we are paying for my wife to get her Master's Degree. In an effort to remain debt free, paying cash for school means paying cash for toys. Wish there was enough money for both. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Yamie 663 here and I do use an outboard amp to power the front two mains, the yamie has no problem with the center and other 4 speakers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyboy Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I hear that man! Rachel's in school too................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Yamie 663 here and I do use an outboard amp to power the front two mains, the yamie has no problem with the center and other 4 speakers Similar setup here. I'm using a Yamaha RX-V750 as a preamp and to power the centre and surround speakers, with a pair of Yamaha MX-D1 amps to power the main speakers, one for the woofers and one for the tweeters. Very good sound for movies, great sound for 2-channel music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 when I did need more power for a Colts Superbowl party a couple years back, I strapped a Crown DC300IIA to my Yamaha RXV 2600 to give more total system watts and save Yamaha power supply for the center and surround channels. I used the Crown to power my LS and it was incredible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchester21 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I am not a audio tech whiz. I am a trial and error component swapper. I can not tell you form a technical number crunching standpoint why certain things make a speaker or a system sound better. I can tell you that I have listened to a boatload of different speakers with a ton of HT receivers and external amplifiers. I know what sounds good to ME in MY room and I think it have mt HT setup pretty much like I want it- for now. I will put my pieced together system of 25 yr old speakers and mis- matched large power amps off ebay up against anything(except for similar systems from this forum) at 2 or 3 times the amount that I have invested. I mean absolutely NO disrespect toward anyone's equipment. I offer my opinion only to help a potential buyer make cost effective decisions. Receiver power does not cut it. Some are obviously better than others. We all agree that Klipsch speakers are the obvious correct choice. They are just too good for the "100-130 watt amplifiers" that HT maunfacturers put into these boxes in a competitive market place. Ok- who out there bought an outboard amp and returned it because it made no difference- please raise their hand. My 2 cents worth- buy the best fronts and center that you can possibly afford- Then .. buy a 3 CHANNEL OUTBOARD to run them. you can get by with using the HT box to do the rears/surrounds... for now. The best thing that I ever bought ..other than my heritage speakers.. HT related... was a 7 year old -used- no cooling- nasty- raw power- disrespected by audiophiles- Bob Carver 2001 3 channel 250 WPC A753 amp off e-bay for a lousey 500 bucks. My system was immediately kicked into another dimension of audio bliss. How many watts? the most that your wallet will allow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rescueu2 Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Yeah, this thread reinforces my decision to amp up my new H/K 354. It sounds good, but as a drummer I know the sound of real bass kick first hand and my RF63's just aren't there yet. It's as if they are being starved of power. I am a loyal H/K guy and this receiver so far is serving it's purpose but I need more low end. I have found an H/K 5 channel amp that is older, is rated at 80WPC x 5 but I wonder if it will be enough?? I also found a Carver 5 ch amp that is rated at 110 to the 2 fronts, 100 to the center and 50 to the surrounds. The carver sounds screwy to me with the different wattages?? Any suggestions??? The models are H/K PA5800 and Carver AV 405 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyboy Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I honestly think the HK with 80 WPC will be plenty of power! Especially considering that it will be a TRUE 80 watts........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rescueu2 Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Well Tommyboy, thanks to a power outage, the auction ended before I could put in my last min. bid. NOT HAPPY!!!! I am watching another one, and also some rotels. I am waiting for that unbelievable deal, but I am also getting impatient!!!! I WANT IT NOW...just like that credit card commercial!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted April 5, 2009 Moderators Share Posted April 5, 2009 I am watching another one, and also some rotels. I am waiting for that unbelievable deal, but I am also getting impatient!!!! I have not had much luck finding "deals" on Ebay. Mine have all come from Craisglist but you definitely have to be patient, continually be looking and have some cash on hand. Good luck with your search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rescueu2 Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I am watching another one, and also some rotels. I am waiting for that unbelievable deal, but I am also getting impatient!!!! I have not had much luck finding "deals" on Ebay. Mine have all come from Craisglist but you definitely have to be patient, continually be looking and have some cash on hand. Good luck with your search. Yeah Ebay is hit or miss. I just found out about CL last year, I was stuck under an ebay rock. I actually found a pair of MINT RF-63's just about a year old and a Sub-12 on craigslist for 750.00. I have been looking at CL but have not been able to find much, there is a guy local that has an Onkyo M5140 110WPC and a BGW 500D which is a 200 WPC DJ Amp but not really what I had in mind, plus I think I want to amp up the center too. I just signed up on audiogon so hopefully I find what I am looking for there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyboy Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Ya, I've never bought anything off Ebay...... been all C list for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Ebay, Craigslist, Audiogon and the Klipsch BS forum. I have bought gear from all of them. Shop and wait. When the good deal comes along..... snag it quick! OH and for Ebay, don't waste your time waiting for the last second to bid, go to Auctionsniper.com and let them do it for you. You can cancel your bid anytime up until the bid is made so there is no buyers remorse and you are not "on the hook" for bidding more than you knew you should. You can set the lead time to any time you want, mine is set to 5 seconds and the only time I have lost an auction is if the price went above the max price I had set, in advance, while emotion was not involved!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted April 6, 2009 Moderators Share Posted April 6, 2009 the Klipsch BS forum I gotta check that one out. [] Agree with the Ebay tips. I do my research, know what it is worth, have my set bid, bid at the last 10 seconds of the auction, then if I get outbid, it's too late to rebid. Keeps me from overbidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 OK, the BUY / SEll or Garage Sale forum, Jeeeshhh [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted April 7, 2009 Moderators Share Posted April 7, 2009 OK, the BUY / SEll I gotcha. Just had to laugh at that one. I thought you meant to say the GS (Garage Sale) forum. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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