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Henry Sparks Unregistered guest | I've done a fair amount of research, but I'm pretty much a novice to the whole home theater thing (this system is for music too) and I want to make sure the receiver I am buying is powerful enough to drive speakers I want. Could someone help talk me through on how to determine this? Is it just a matter of matching the Power Output of the receiver for each channel to the recommended Power Input to the speakers (am I making this too hard)? Finally, I am also planning on having a set of B speakers setup in a separate room. How should I consider this when matching the receiver / speakers. For those who are interested a thorough listing of the specifications are below. Thanks a lot to anyone who reads this whole posting. Once I get this figured out then I have to start researching the cables / connections. Henry P.S. Given that my room is 13' x 19' does anyone think my system over or under powered? *************************************************** The receiver I am considering is the Yamaha RX-V640 which has the following specifications: Minimum RMS Output Power per Channel (I assuming that these spec. are for when all the speakers are running simultaneously?) MAIN, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.06% THD, 8 ohms; 85W + 85W CENTER, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.06% THD, 8 ohms; 85W + 85W REAR, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.06% THD, 8 ohms; 85W + 85W Minimum RMS Output Power per Channel MAIN, 1kHz, 0.06% THD, 8 ohms; 105W + 105W CENTER, 1kHz, 0.06% THD, 8 ohms; 105W + 105W REAR, 1kHz, 0.06% THD, 8 ohms; 105W + 105W Dynamic Power per Channel MAIN, 8/6/4/2 ohms; 95/120/160/190W Damping Factor MAIN L/R, 20Hz-20kHz, 8 ohms; 80 or more It also has an impedance selector for the front speakers and allows the following settings: Setting 1: A or B 4 ohms / speaker; A + B 8 ohms / speaker Setting 2: A or B 8 ohms / speaker but I am not exactly sure how to use this setting. Any help here too would be appreciated. I would like to know if the Yamaha receiver would work with the following Paradigm speakers: Fronts: Atoms Frequency Response:70Hz -- 20 kHz ±2 dB Suitable Amplifier Range: 15 -- 85W Maximum Power Input: 50W Center: CC-170 (the Yamaha is a 6.1 system so I am thinking about 2 centers F/R) Frequency Response:70Hz -- 20 kHz ±2 dB Suitable Amplifier Range: 15 -- 120W Maximum Power Input: 80W Surrounds: ADP-170 Frequency Response: 90Hz -- 20 kHz ±2 dB (reverberant sound field) Suitable Amplifier Range: 15 -- 100W Maximum Power Input: 80W Subwoofer: 1 PDR-8 or 1 PDR-10 Amplifier: High-Current, Discrete Output: 120 watts RMS / 360 watts Peak Low Frequency Extension: 27 Hz (DIN) Subwoofer Cutoff Frequency: Variable 50 Hz -- 150 Hz |
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Silver Member Username: HawkPost Number: 322 Registered: 12-2003 | Henry: You have done a nice job of setting out the published specs for the Yamaha receiver--too bad they aren't true. By that I mean that Yamaha published a spec like 85 wpc, but they are only rating two channels at a time. That receiver will produce no where near that much power when driving five or more channels as its poor power supply is not large enough to drive five channels at once and produce anything close to its published power rating. When driving five channels, figure you will have about 40 wpc, at best. With that receiver, I would not further tax the receiver's power supply with a center rear speaker--stick with a 5.1 system. You state your room size is 13 x 19, but you don't give the ceiling height. If you have high ceilings, the Yamaha may be a bit under-powered for your proposed system. The Yamaha generally has a very good sound to match with Paradigm speakers. Its brightness is somewhat tamed by the Paradigm's more laid back nature. The strength of the Yamaha is the detail of the pre/pro section and you don't sacrifice the detail with Paradigms, either, which are very capable of producing very detailed sound. So, it is a pretty good match. |
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Henry Sparks Unregistered guest | Thanks a lot for your input. I really appreciate the help. With regard to the Yamaha I was wondering about the power output with all five (or six) speakers going. In the future how would I find something like that out? Concerning the room size, the ceiling is sloped. The high side is 12' while the low side is 8'. Probably not ideal from an acoustics stand point, but from a functional stand point it is the best room my house for a system. My biggest problem with the room is that the area near the back wall also functions as a pseudo hallway and the Paradigm satellites are very deep for this area (unless I receed them into the wall, but I think my wife might have a problem with that). So I was also looking at the smaller Polk RM6700 system (from the reviews these a not as good as the Paradigms). I've had a pair of Atoms from college for 15 years and I really like them. |
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Silver Member Username: Elitefan1Post Number: 232 Registered: 12-2003 | Henry, A receiver higher up in the Yamaha line would be much better than the 640 which as Hawk states is underpowered. I would not recommend anything under the 1400 in the Yamaha line. A better choice would be a NAD 743. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkPost Number: 327 Registered: 12-2003 | Henry: I have to agree with elitefan. I think you should go higher in the Yamaha line (RX-V1400 at least) or switch to an NAD 743, which can be had for about $560 (www.kiefs.com). I would not drop down to the Polks as I believe you will be very disappointed. As a system, they would have an even more difficult time pulling that room. Instead, for your satellites (rears), I would go for a more directional speaker (if they are pretty far back, as you suggest, I think the advantages of a dipole would be lost anyways). I would suggest the Paradigm Cinema 90s for your rears, which are only 5 3/4" deep. Alternatively, I would think about an in-wall speaker if you are concerned about the speakers sticking out. There are a number of very good ones out there, including Paradigm. |
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New member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 5 Registered: 02-2004 | As an owner of the NAD T-743, I can attest to the quality sound and power produced by this receiver. However, Henry posted that he is thinking about front and rear center channel speakers (i.e. a 6.1 system). The T-743 supports only a 5.1 system. So he would have to look for a different receiver if he has his heart set on the sixth rear speaker. |
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Henry Sparks Unregistered guest | Hmmmm. I'm now considering the RX-V1400. There are several places via Pricegrabber.com that are selling it for about $570. If I upgrade to that receiver then I might just start with speakers for a 5.1 system and purchase additional ones later. The 5.1 Paradigms would then cost me about $1190. A little pricey but not too bad. I'm still stuck on the size of the surronds though. I like the idea of the in-wall ones, but I've already mentioned why that's an issue. When I originally started this project I 'assumed' I was going to get Bose speakers because there size would not be a problem (I can hear the grunts), but reading the reviews & comments on Bose I decided against it. I've never seen a single bad word about Paradigms though. |
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Silver Member Username: Elitefan1Post Number: 237 Registered: 12-2003 | Henry, What Paradigm models are you considering? The great thing about Paradigm besides the quality and value is that you can mix and match several combinations and get a very nice system. For example you can use a pair of mains from the Monitor series and a pair from the Performance series for surrounds [Atoms or Titans] and still have a good, balanced system. Just interested in what you are thinking. |
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Henry Sparks Unregistered guest | Read the end of my first posting for the details. I am think of much lower end Paradigms. Atoms for the mains and ADPs for the surrounds, etc. |
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Silver Member Username: Elitefan1Post Number: 242 Registered: 12-2003 | Henry, Sorry about overlooking your original post. I am a fan of Paradigm and would highly recommend them with Yamaha over any other brand and I guess I would like to know what your maximum budget for this purchase would be. I love the Atoms but don't think I would use them for mains, but could see a system with the Titans for mains and the 170 center and either the Atoms or adp170 surrounds and the PDR10. That and the Yamaha 1400 would be fine but if you could swing a bit more money the Mini-Monitors might be even better for mains. Like I said lots of good ways to mix and match. |
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Henry Sparks Unregistered guest | To get started I would like to be around $1500 - $1700, but I have the option to buy more in 6 to 12 months. I'm thinking of the HT system in the front room, but I am really limited in what I can do for the surrounds. Something with a depth of 6" is even way too much. The front door opens across part of the back wall and that area also doubles as a walkway to the rest of the house. This area is only 4' wide and needs to be mostly clear. I need something Real thin (or in the wall). In addition, I am thinking of moving my old stereo receiver to the center room (2nd living and kitchen area) and putting A + B ceiling speakers over the TV and kitchen table there. So to fit all of this in my budget I was going to use my current Atoms for the mains in the front room. If it is even possible I would like to be able to 'toggle' the A speakers in the center room between the stereo reciever and the HT system (on the B output there). So that way I can have the same music throughout the house (single story) as an option. |