newbie with question on reciever

[R_Andrews]

I'm creating a home theater in my basement and I ordered 2 klipsch 820f speakers  and a pair of R-51M for the rear and R-120sw subwoofer. I ordered a Sony 7.1 receiver with 145 watts per channel. Would that be ok for the speakers? The R-51 are only 85rms and don't want to blow then. I also need to run wiring across the room for the rear. The runs are 42ft and 55ft. Is 14 gauge wire ok?

[willland]

@R_Andrews,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

3 hours ago, R_Andrews said:

I ordered a Sony 7.1 receiver with 145 watts per channel.

What model did you order?

Those  power spec's may be a bit skewed.  That 145w/ch is most likely measured with one channel driven, at one frequency, at 6ohms, and at closed to 1%THD.

 

3 hours ago, R_Andrews said:

The R-51 are only 85rms and don't want to blow then.

You are more likely to "blow" them with not enough honest spec's power.

 

Bill

[R_Andrews]

I ordered the Sony STRDH790

[wvu80]

5 hours ago, R_Andrews said:

I'm creating a home theater in my basement and I ordered 2 klipsch 820f speakers  and a pair of R-51M for the rear and R-120sw subwoofer.

 

I didn't see a center speaker.  Get the best center you can afford.

 

Best:  RC-64 III ( a used RC-64 or RC-64 II would be a great cost savings and they sound better than just about anything else new)

Better:  RP-504C

Good:  RP-600C

 

I ordered a Sony 7.1 receiver with 145 watts per channel. Would that be ok for the speakers? The R-51 are only 85rms and don't want to blow then.

That 145 wpc is fake news, as @willland pointed out ^^^ just upstream.  With all channels driving you would be lucky to get 40-50 watts, which is enough for your setup.  That Sony will work fine with your speakers and there is almost zero chance of overdriving them.

 

I also need to run wiring across the room for the rear. The runs are 42ft and 55ft. Is 14 gauge wire ok?

 

14 AWG is a good size, get at least a 100 foot spool and 150 or 200 feet would be better. Always get more than you think you'll need. Be sure to get the good stuff OFC Oxygen Free Copper and not the cheap crap CCA Copper Coated Aluminum.  If it doesn't brag that it's OFC on the label then it's not.  There are many good brands.  I'm not recommending this stuff in the link, it's just an example.

https://www.amazon.com/Performance-Gauge-Speaker-Oxygen-Copper/dp/B01NAGSG0K/ref=sr_1_4?crid=7LGMFRVHNVFQ&dchild=1&keywords=ofc%2Bspeaker%2Bwire&qid=1607648768&sprefix=ofc%2B%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-4&th=1

 

I also recommend using banana plugs.  They won't make your speakers sound better but they are easier to use than bare wire.  I highly recommend Mediabridge which I use.  They have a 4.9 star rating on Amazon.  If you can find something higher rated, buy it.

https://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Banana-Plugs-Corrosion-Resistant-Gold-Plated/dp/B01E0E5CIG/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3W5C84GMDOZ03&dchild=1&keywords=mediabridge+banana+plug&qid=1607649113&sprefix=mediabridge%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-5

 

 

[wvu80]

59 minutes ago, R_Andrews said:

I ordered the Sony STRDH790

 

I hope you ordered it from Amazon which has a great return policy.  I don't think you'll be happy with the Sony.

 

It is cheaply made.  Most good AVR's at least have banana plug connectors.  The H790 has only L/R banana plug outputs which is very odd.  The rest of the connectors are the spring loaded push type which only accepts bare wire, and small bare wire at that.  I doubt it will take 14 awg wire.

 

Others here can make better recommendations than I on specific models but I would like to see you get into a Denon or Yamaha at that price point.  You can save big by buying a refub model like a lot of us (including me) have.  Accessories For Less.com is the go-to for us.  I've gotten nothing but perfect looking products with a full warranty, and you can the extended warranty for not very much.

 

Here is the link.  It only lists a few models because I used the search filter so you could see a couple in the $400 price range.

https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrs940h/denon-avr-s940h-7.2-ch-x-90-watts-a/v-receiver-w/heos/1.html

[R_Andrews]

I ordered it from bestbuy for $300. It's still in the box so I won't have an issue returning it

[R_Andrews]

Dang the denon is sold out

[wvu80]

4 minutes ago, R_Andrews said:

Dang the denon is sold out

Get on the email list so they will notify you when one becomes available.  In the meantime keep checking the site and feel free to run it by your buds here to get opinions.  Denon, Marantz, Yamaha Aventege, Pioneer Elite are all known to work well with Klipsch.

 

I have a Marantz 6011 which I got used from a forum member.  I saved about $500 on a still selling model a couple of years ago.

[R_Andrews]

Tbh I'm on a very limited tight budget now. I recently bought a vava 4k laser projector, 150 fixed frame screen. Then lost my job 2 weeks ago. The speakers and subs were 50% off for black friday which I why I bought them. So looking for the cheapest decent sounding receiver I can get

[wuzzzer]

That's a really long run of wire for your surrounds.  How big is your room?  Post some pics of where you're setting everything up. 

[R_Andrews]

Its around 22'x 20'

[Ceptorman]

Very nice room. Monoprice is a pretty good source for wiring.

[R_Andrews]

2 minutes ago, Ceptorman said:

Very nice room. Monoprice is a pretty good source for wiring.

Thanks its a new house. There is actually a 16'x18' unfinished media room but it would be alot of work just to finish the room

[willland]

I was not bashing your Sony AVR but you have this really nice setup(speakers, projector and screen) in a new HT room, don't skimp on the power.  Feed these speakers with good clean power, not a bottom of the barrel entry level AVR.  Save a bit more $$$ and then get something decent.  IMO, a mid level AVR at minimum.

 

7 hours ago, wvu80 said:

It is cheaply made.  Most good AVR's at least have banana plug connectors.  The H790 has only L/R banana plug outputs which is very odd.  The rest of the connectors are the spring loaded push type which only accepts bare wire, and small bare wire at that.  I doubt it will take 14 awg wire.

As mentioned, spring clip terminals are usually a dead giveaway for a cheaply made audio electronics.

 

Bill

[R_Andrews]

I took no offense to it. I'm completely new to this so I appreciate any input I get. My previous system was a Samsung jw5500 which was ok

[henry4841]

IMHO 18 gauge copper is plenty good enough for wire. Nothing wrong with heavier gauge other than price though. 

[billybob]

Alot of HT uses 18 gauge copper.

[Islander]

14 gauge/AWG (American Wire Gauge) speaker wire is acceptable, but 12 gauge is a better bet for good dynamics (the short quick sounds, like handclaps, drumbeats, even explosions), because it take a lot more power to reproduce those sounds, in order for them to sound believable, and after all, realistic sound is the goal of any sound system.

 

Also, when describing how electricity works, it’s often compared to the flow of water through pipes.  This analogy works for some characteristics of electricity, but not for resistance.  If you have a 20-foot length of hose, it takes a certain amount of water pressure to push it through the hose.  If you then replace the 20-foot-long hose with one that’s 40 feet long, it will take more pressure to push it through the hose, but not that much more.  This is one place the “water=electricity” analogy falls apart, because if you’re pushing electricity (electrons) through a wire, if you double the length of the wire, you need double the pressure (measured in Volts), because the resistance (measured in Ohms) is doubled.  

 

To translate that into everyday language, it means that for long runs of wire, bigger cables are required.  For home audio, in any typical-sized home, 12 gauge speaker wire will be adequate for all your speaker wire runs, including the long surround speaker runs.

 

I agree with the other commenters about the receiver you bought.  Those spring clip connectors don’t belong on any kind of quality electronics.  I’m a big fan of Yamaha electronics, and Yamaha makes some great stuff (if they didn’t, I’d be a little bit crazy).  Nowadays, it’s easy to research nearly anything online, so if you’re willing to spend some time looking at manufacturer websites and reviews, and reading advice from the helpful folks on here, you should make out okay.

 

We’re a real gang of enablers on here, and we love to help people spend their money, but your situation sounds a bit different.  If you’re not working at this time, and your income is less, maybe much less, than it usually is, keep in mind that audio and music is a hobby.  It might even become a passion, but paying your bills comes first.  If you have to wait for months, or even years, before you have enough cash to buy the gear you’re after, so be it.

 

You’ve probably noticed that some commenters have been on here for years, and have amazing stereos.  In some cases, those systems include technology that didn’t exist when they started building their systems.  Your speakers seem to be pretty good.  I’m not familiar with them, so that’s all I can say right now.  If you feel like returning some of your gear to get better stuff, we’ve all been there.

 

As for the power of any receiver you may look at, the most accurate spec, and maybe the only accurate spec, is “power into 8 ohms from 20Hz.  to 20 kHz., 2 channels driven, with less than 1% distortion”.

 

Don’t worry about having too much power.  Audio is different from things like horsepower.  The only way your speakers will get damaged is if you turn the volume up so loud that they start making terrible noises, so don’t do that.  Most speaker manufacturers today recommend that your amplifier be rated at double the rating of the speakers.  This is so that the amplifier will never be straining.  Instead, it will always send clean power to the speakers, so they'll be safe.  If amplifiers are working too hard, they may start to “clip”; that is, they’ll be unable to supply the volume that the music is demanding, so the loud peaks will be “clipped” off.  This produces signals that can be very damaging to speakers, so that’s why more power is better power.

[BadChile]

I'm late to the party here but a couple more thoughts - while I await an email from a coworker.

 

1) Good speaker wire lasts forever.  I've got a pair of Heresy IIIs that I got four years ago wired up using some 12AWG Oxygen Free Copper wire from Monoprice (I think) that is at least 15 years old.  I think it was $27 for a 100' roll back then - the price of copper has certainly gone up - but I'm glad I got it.

 

2) There used to be a rule of thumb: spend as much on amplification as you did on speakers.  Kinda makes sense, but definitely keep your eye out for potential upgrade paths.  If you don't think you'll go to 7.1 right away (or ever), consider a better 5.1 model.  Some 5.1 models have unpowered outputs for the rear channel that you can later on add a two channel amp, and given that it is the rear channel, a $30 chip amp would do the trick if you ever go that way.

 

3) Two words: Dual Subwoofers.  You don't really need a 5.2 or 7.2 receiver as you can split the signal easily so a X.1 receiver will work.  Both my two channel system and my home theater system in a different room use dual subwoofers as it really smooths out the in-room response.

 

4) If short on cash spend the money on the receiver, front three speakers, and cabling now, and add the rear channels later.  There are so many versions of the base and one-level up bookshelf speakers on the market being suggested you'll almost certainly be able to find a pair that matches up well enough - if not on the new market - the used market.

[wuzzzer]

Are you able to put your surrounds beside you instead of behind you?  That's the recommended placement for 5.1 surround.