I just bought a pair of max 140 watt speakers. My receiver produces 93 continuus watts. Is having a receiver this much weaker than the receiver going to damage the speakers? Does the wattage difference mean that the speakers are going to sound bad because they are underpowered? Thank you in advance. I haven't been able to find any info on this online.
Brian
Posted on
I've been looking for the same answer.
My speaker manual says "The speaker system is driven best by an amplifier or receiver rated as per the wattage indicated in the spec section. A low-powered amp could result in signal clipping which could result in tweeter burn-out".
My receiver manual says "This is a 8 Ohm 100 W receiver, you should connect the receiver to the speakers which has a max loading of 100 W"
I don't know if this will cause any noticiable damage. It might be the difference between putting mid-grade and low-grade gas in your tank, but it doesn't sound good for sure. I also read that people prefer buying speakers rated higher than the receiver so they don't blow out.
Porcdoc
Posted on
David, The continuous wattage that you mentioned isn't kosher unless its describing an average constant level which is usually below the peak amount deliverable . Think of a slow blow fuse. It forgives an instantaneous peak of power with out blowingout but keep the power going at the highest value and the fuse blows.The fuse in this case is the speaker its rated at some total constant wattage vs a non sustained peak, which is a higher value or RED Line on a tachometer. I wouldn,t worry if your speakers are rated higher than your amp.Or as long as they are no more than 50% less than your amplifier. That is unless you a breaking a lease, burning a neighbor or trying to fill a stadium with the sound. Most of the power put out by the amp. goes to playing the lower frequencies(BASS).Low frequency requires this power and the speaker itself changes its resistance (ohms) which further increases power requirements. Its the Bass notes played very loud that will burn up speakers and fuses/ amps. P.S. Don,t confuse the wattage rating of the amplifier (normally on the name plate) with the watts. per channel. Hope this helps