Possible clipping or speaker damage with 100W receiver and 125W speakers?

[AngryOrb]

I have a question about clipping and some Klipsch RB-35s.

You'll have to forgive my HT, it's quite basic and I'm just now in the process of upgrading it. I'm looking into purchasing the RB-35s, but my current setup is this:

Receiver: Sony STR-DE695 6 x 100W

Center, Fronts, and Surrounds are 10 year old Sony brand

Sub: RW-8

Now, my question is this: Will I get any clipping because my receiver is only capable of putting out 100 Watts per channel and the RB-35s can handle 125 Watts (continuous) or is clipping only going to occur in extreme cases of high volumes and major audio tracks? Or will the wattage rating be close enough that I won't have to worry about any clipping with the combo?

I just bought the receiver about 3-4 weeks ago and would get a better receiver - if clipping is unavoidable with this particular combination and if I'm within my 30 days for the return - but I would prefer to wait, if possible. Ultimately, I don't want to put the money into $600 worth of speakers if there is a possibility of damaging them right off the bat.

Thanks for the help!

[J.4knee]

OK I doubt you will be able to stand to be in the room with 100 W into you RB 35's they are just way too efficient. Clipping occurs when you begin to stress the amp beyond its limits and the peaks of the sign wave are clipped off. A 100 W for RB 35 should do fine for starters. One reason you will want a better higher power SS amp, if that is how you want to go, is because you will be using the amp more efficiently in it s Clean power range. But for starters your Sony will work.

[AngryOrb]

J.4knee,

Thanks for the info! I was thinking that I may have a problem with the 100W receiver with the RB-35s, but the sales rep at Ovations (a local Audio/Video store here in Indy) never said anything about it. So, I wanted to look into it myself.

I doubt that I will be able to stand any obvious audio distortion, if I hear any. I'm pretty new to the Audiophile world, but I have been doing a lot of research; and my taste is rather picky when it comes to things I truly enjoy. Granted, I still do have some fairly old speakers, but they have done rather well... until I walked into Ovations and heard the RB-35s. I was very impressed and excited that they sounded so clear, efficient, and are in my price range!

If anything, I'll probably keep the Sony receiver - unless a new high-end receiver is in full order. Or in your opinion, do you think getting a higher-end receiver should come before the speakers? Or, yet again, will my receiver be able to handle the full (6.1) setup without causing too much of an issue?

Thanks for your help!

[J.4knee]

I would get the RB 35's and plan to upgrade at your convenience. However if the units were demonstrated using a higher quality receiver you may not be as impressed with them when you get them home. Upstream components are frequently discounted when someone complains about the sound of their system. Speakers can only put out what they get in. But there is also the O-my-gosh this sounds great factor of getting your new toys home and playing them for yourself for the first time. So just move at you pace and enjoy.

PS Welcome to the forum

[cjgeraci]

Just some random thoughts.....

Did you listen to RB-35s hooked up to a similar Sony receiver? I have owned a variety of the titanium tweeters from the new reference line, and they are pretty sensitive to "screaming" or "brightness" if not paired up to warm amplification.

As for power, if I recall, that particular Sony receiver is not really known for truly putting out power to match what label Sony throws on it. Therefore, instead of putting out what you might think is 100 watts per channel, you might only be getting about 50-60 watts per channel continuous. I seem to recall that a major publication performed some bench testing of various receivers, and the lower Sony models were a major offender. I will see if I can find the article.

Your instincts are pretty good. Even efficient speakers do not like amps straining at their upper limits. I would not recommend going past 80% of your power. That being said, it depends on how loud you plan on listening to stuff. If it is loud enough for you at that power level, I would start with a different center speaker first. That will make your biggest difference. Considering your mains, you might want to consider a RC-25 or RC-35.

Also, welcome to the forum.

Carl.

[Trey Cannon]

The 100 Watts / ch is fine...all amps will clipp at some point. Most of the time this will happen when the volume is at 50% or more. The higher you go the more clipping you will have. Short term volume of that level, for the most part will not hurt anything.

As for the Sony, the brand does not matter much. Each receiver will have a small difference in sound....one more bright than another.

I have all ways used this...go in and push all the buttons and turn all the knobs. If you are able to get the receiver to do what you want it to and you understand what you did. that is the one to get.

If you are in Indy you should come to our "fourm meeting" in June.

The fourm members will meet at the comfort Inn for a "mixer" on friday night (june 11th) then we will meet at the Klipsch HQ on Sat, June 12 @9am. From there go tour the UA / Regal theaters on 96th and I-69. After that we will come back to the HQ and tour the Engineering lab and have a chance to hear many different systems, play with our test stations. We will have a box lunch and play some more. Later we plan to go out for dinner at the Jazz kitchen. It should be a lot of fun.

If you want to go, just let me know....trey.cannon@klipsch.com

[wheelman]

Believe it or not it's more like 35 good watts. Sony get loud quick. So really it will start clipping or get dirty around 11 oclock. I've owned alot of sony's they have a harsh or grainy top end,(killer bass). I would worry if anything about not having enough watts. Sony exagerates big time on their watts. Sure it will do 100 watts with tons of distortion. Iv'e had onkyo 65 watter easily compare with 100 sony. I am into denons currently used to be a harmon nut. But quality completely sucks unless you have a vintage one. Make it high current with as much wattage you can afford if you go with a better receiver. Just make sure it's high current( no specific brand I'm not going to be biased that way anymore alot quality ones out there). Alot of speakers even though they say their 8 ohm will dip into the 3ohm range. And in my opinion is where you get your harshness. You need a high current amp that can dip that low. Preferably stay away from a receiver with a 4 ohm switch. Usually that's a giveway it can't handle the real low ohm's and it will limit it's power. It can be very deceiving. Hope this helped.

[AngryOrb]

Thanks, everyone, for all the help and information. I really do appreciate it. Before I get into any details, I'll just say that I bought the RB-35s. Reason being:

I went down to Ovations, yesterday, and decided to speak with my dealer about the clipping issue and also spoke with their Resident Audiophile. Their RA told me not to worry about possible clipping with these speakers because - as some of you have mentioned - they are so efficient that the Amp would not be stressed as much as it would with lower-end speakers of "similar watt and ohm ratings" (my Sony speakers); and because they are so efficient they do not draw on the Amp as much as my Sony speakers would.

Of course, he did mention that I would eventually want to step up my receiver to a higher-end, quality one to use the full efficacy of the speakers and send what he called a "cleaner, warmer power signal" to the speakers with a better rated Amp.

So, I have a week to try them out, listen to movies, CDs, and see if I am totally satisfied or not... Which from what I've been listening to and watching, I don't think I'll be taking them back. I probably be running down to Radio Shack to pick up that SPL Meter (33-2055) to start getting these puppies in tune.

I appreciate all the info and the encouragement about being able to use the speakers with my current Amp. I'm sure it won't be long till I purchase a better one, but - at the very least - I have some peace of mind knowing that I can use this Amp for the time being.

Thanks again, everyone! And thanks for the Welcomes to the Klipsch Forums.

AngryOrb

[AngryOrb]

Thanks for the invite, Trey.

I think I'll take you up on that offer. I've heard that the Klipsch HQ is a pretty marvelous place to visit; and that they have some sound room that is something like 27db and is so quiet that you can hear your heart beat. Sounds cool to me! I'll e-mail you later to get/give any needed details.

Thanks, again!

AngryOrb