dDave Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 (edited) Hi all, new to this forum (though not new to forums in general) I recently purchased some Klipsch speakers... RS-25 (pair) RC-35 KSW-10 I'm also looking to get a set of RF-52 speakers (or something similar) but haven't found the right deal yet. Anyway. I found that my Onkyo TX-2500 MKII receiver simply did not have the power to run these speakers properly (I am only running the RS-25 set currently), I believe it does 40w per channel which is pathetic given what these speakers need. I ordered a new receiver yesterday, a Marantz SR 5001 which is 630w (90w per channel) for a good price, obviously this is a big upgrade. I haven't received it yet but I should by the end of next week. I'm a bit unclear about power if I get a set of RF-52 speakers though. (http://www.klipsch.com/rf-52-ii-floorstanding-speaker/details) The speakers are designed to handle 100w constant and 400w max. I'm lucky enough to have a Harman/Kardon 1200w Lucasfilm THX Citation 7.1 channel amp (it can drive up to 4 speakers at 300w per channel, it also has the option to drive 2 speakers at a crazy 600w each in bridged mode, I can run only two at 300w each though). Would it be inappropriate to connect a set of RF-52's to an amp this size? I'm not the kind of person that goes crazy with volume or anything. I've had some MK 75 watt speakers connected to this before without issue but I think I may have just been lucky. I would use the pre outs on my new receiver to send the signal to the amp which would then power the speakers (I'm also considering running the center channel from this amp which would be a total of 3 speakers run from the one amp) This setup would be for both listening to music and watching movies. Would it be better to use the Marantz receiver only or use the amp on top of that? Thanks! Edited July 4, 2014 by dDave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 (edited) dDave, Welcome to the forum. Anyway. I found that my Onkyo TX-2500 MKII receiver simply did not have the power to run these speakers properly (I am only running the RS-25 set currently), I believe it does 40w per channel which is pathetic given what these speakers need. Your Onkyo TX-2500 is a 70's vintage stereo receiver that produced 30w/ch at 8ohms and 40w/ch at 4ohms. With that said, 30w/ch(stereo) back in the 70's is more like 75w/ch(stereo) in 2014, from my experience. Your new(to you I am guessing) Marantz SR5001 is a 7.1 channel AVR that is spec'd at 90w/ch@8ohms in stereo mode but most likely only puts out about 40w/ch with all channels driven. The upgrade you may be realizing is that you are going from a stereo receiver to a multichannel receiver which is necessary for HT, not really much of a power upgrade except in stereo mode(90w vs 30w). Now if you were to add the Citation to the mix, then that would be a significant power upgrade. Let the Citation drive your front soundstage(left--center--right) and let the Marantz drive your surround channels. And no, 300w/ch will not harm the RF-52's unless you get crazy-stupid with the volume knob. Bill Edited July 4, 2014 by willland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dDave Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 Thank you for the reply! I'm actually not new to Marantz or 7.1 channel setups. I've had a SR5500 for something like 10 years now and I love it, it's why I chose to go with Marantz again. Stick with what you know I guess. I've got that one connected to a home theater (which I ought to post about sometime), the system with the 5001 is going to be for more personal use. I said music and movies but I'll definitely be mostly using it to listen to music while I work and do other things. Yeah, so I guess I'll go with that. I'll run the setup like this. Citation (at 300w per channel) -Main speakers (RF-52) -Center speaker (RC-35) Receiver (at 90w per channel) -Rear speakers (RS-25) -Mid speakers (I have a pair of Bose 141 series II that I may run here or I could just stick with 5.1, leaning towards the latter) Obviously, the sub is independently powered. I've already ordered a coaxial cable that should suffice. I was only concerned about the power because though I've set up many systems in the past, it was never something quite this powerful and with the amount of money I'm putting into it I'd prefer not to break anything. I'm pretty excited to get this whole system up and running! This is a really big step for me to get a system this large. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 I'm actually not new to Marantz or 7.1 channel setups. Sorry, I did not mean to imply ignorance. -Mid speakers (I have a pair of Bose 141 series II that I may run here or I could just stick with 5.1, leaning towards the latter) If it was me, I would just stick with 5.1 instead of mixing the 141's in there. I was only concerned about the power because though I've set up many systems in the past, it was never something quite this powerful and with the amount of money I'm putting into it I'd prefer not to break anything. A legitimate concern indeed but no worries unless too big a twist with the volume knob. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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