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New member Username: Juggy_25Post Number: 8 Registered: Apr-06 | The Power Amp is rated to deliver 110W power when driving 6 speakers at 8 ohms. The Front Speakers (Flooorstanders) can deliver upto 130W RMS. The Rear Speakers (Bookshelves-Monopolar) on stands, deliver upto 60W RMS. Now, is this a problem? Since the Rears only give the crowd noise and gives a room-filling effect, does it need as much/or closer capacity as the fronts? Will this config affect the quality of surround sound from movies? will it harm the Rear Speakers? |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4139 Registered: Mar-05 | No, no, no, and no. |
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Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 1564 Registered: Feb-04 | Agree, agree, agree and agree. - The power rating of the receiver is likely optimistic. - The power handling capability of the speakers really depends on freqency, and there's actually little difference between 60W and 130W. - Usually the rear speakers only get a small fraction of the power that the front sees. |
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New member Username: Juggy_25Post Number: 9 Registered: Apr-06 | Thanx Edster & Peter. :-) So as per your suggestion I am going ahead with that configuration. Peter, u said "The power handling capability of the speakers really depends on freqency." Whats the ideal frequency of quality speakers? What should I look for? Besides, generally, how much output (in watts) wud an average music listener (in an apartment) be listening to? (I heard 30W is loud enough!!) |
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Gold Member Username: KanoBC Canada Post Number: 1012 Registered: Oct-04 | It's not an ideal frequency he refers to, it's the fact that a lot of low bass will require more power be sent to the speakers than in sections such as a violin solo, that require almost no power to play loud. Typically speakers only use a handful of watts continuously, it is the dynamic spikes that can stretch an amp to its limit. |
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Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 1567 Registered: Feb-04 | What Kano said. How much power is needed depends on loudspeaker sensitivity, expressed in how many dB of sound are output, measured 1 meter away from the speaker, with 1 watt of input. An average number is around 88 or so. For each increase in sensitivity of 10 dB, there is a ten-fold reduction in power requirement for the same sound pressure. For example, a high-sensitivity speaker rated at 98dB/1W/1m needs 1/10 of the power as a 88dB/1W/1m-rated speaker; 10 Watts plays as loud in the former as 100Watts in the latter. In an apartment setting, if you never play the system above a level where you can easily have a conversation at the same time, then it's more than likely than 10W are more then enough even with average sensitivity speakers, and 1W would be plenty with higher sensitivity speakers. I rarely go above 1W on my system and I live in a house (so I don't need to be so careful), but my speakers are rated at a high sensitivity of 104dB/1W/1m, so they only need 1/100th of the power as speakers rated at 84dB/1W/1m to sound as loud. Hope this helps. |
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Bronze Member Username: Juggy_25Post Number: 12 Registered: Apr-06 | Thanx a lot. that sure helps. I am contemplating on Floorstanders vs Bookshelves. Peter, u said - "In an apartment setting, if you never play the system above a level where you can easily have a conversation at the same time, then it's more than likely than 10W are more then enough even with average sensitivity speakers, and 1W would be plenty with higher sensitivity speakers." Wud floorstanders perform well in an apartment setting with the volume low? Will I still get the clarity and separation and base when watching movies? (The floorstanders are powerful capable of 130W RMS. so at such low volumes, wud I still be able to appreciate the floorstanders?? or.....shud i consider bookshelves?) |
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Silver Member Username: Rysa4Post Number: 492 Registered: Jul-05 | Juggy- What speaker models are you referring to, and what is the minimum power needed to drive them? Initially, you were focusing on max power handling and as others have commented on, the focus should be on the sensitivity/efficiency/ and minimum power handling requirements of the speakers in order to answer your question best. |
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Bronze Member Username: Juggy_25Post Number: 13 Registered: Apr-06 | Marc, I am lookin' at these as my front speakers: http://www.sonodyne.com/Sonus-2605.htm These are what I am considering for rear speakers: http://www.sonodyne.com/Sonus-1501.htm And this,the multichannel processor and power amp: http://www.sonodyne.com/MP606.htm http://www.sonodyne.com/MPA6150.htm |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 3355 Registered: Feb-05 | The quality of that gear looks dubious at best. Waht's your budget. |
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Bronze Member Username: Juggy_25Post Number: 14 Registered: Apr-06 | Art, Why do you feel it looks dubious? Is there anything I shud I look out for?? Have I missed anything? Any recommendations? |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 3356 Registered: Feb-05 | I would need a budget to even think about recommendations. |
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Bronze Member Username: Juggy_25Post Number: 15 Registered: Apr-06 | Budget shud be around $2500 for the 5.1 system and the Receiver. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 3357 Registered: Feb-05 | What will you be using this system for...music, movies...what percentage of each? What kind of music/movies do you listen to/watch? What are you using now? What are you trying to accomplish...more volume, clarity, and on and on? I'll check back to tomorrow..... |
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Bronze Member Username: Juggy_25Post Number: 16 Registered: Apr-06 | I will be using the HT for Movies and Music (50% each). I am trying to accomplish clarity in music and good 5.1 separation in movies. I wud like to appreciate both even at low volumes. |
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Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 1572 Registered: Feb-04 | Wud floorstanders perform well in an apartment setting with the volume low? Will I still get the clarity and separation and base when watching movies? (The floorstanders are powerful capable of 130W RMS. so at such low volumes, wud I still be able to appreciate the floorstanders?? or.....shud i consider bookshelves?) Personnaly, I find that music sounds best when reproduced at realistic levels. A piano shouln't be faint but shouldn't lead to ear bleeding either. I tend to listen to jazz trios late at night in the basement when the kids are sleeping upstairs and don't I come close to waking anyone. Mine are large floorstanding speakers and don't require a minimum power "to get going". As for Sonodyne, I have never heard of them. Perhaps noone else here has, and that leads to skepticism on our part. The loudspeakers are listed on the web page without any sort of specs, and, much worse, there are no specs for the amplifier/processor either. We also don't usually buy speakers and electronics from the same manufacturer. I'd stay away from that brand. It all sounds like a white-van scam. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4154 Registered: Mar-05 | Juggy, how did you even hear of Sonodyne? I have to agree with Art's "dubious" comment. With US-based Internet-direct manufacturers of subs and speakers, plus online dealers of audio electronics, you will do very well for yourself with a $2500 budget and not have to take any chances whatsoever. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 3360 Registered: Feb-05 | Eddie and Peter, have you noticed that white van gear now has ads in Stereophile....what is the world coming to. Juggy, do you live where you can go out and hear some gear. Trust me the Sonodyne stuff looks bad. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4166 Registered: Mar-05 | In *Stereophile?* Whoa! That's extremely sobering. Makes me wonder just how financially desperate and/or promiscuous they have to be, and how that influences what they choose to review and how they choose to review it. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 3362 Registered: Feb-05 | Perhaps this gives them greater credibility. A good review of white van gear is certainly not forthcoming so the age old argument that they give good reviews to those who advertise with them will lose ground. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1366 Registered: May-05 | I like that Art. "Elite Audio" and "Theater Research" probably have the biggest ads in the current Stereophile. 3 or 4 pages EACH. Right near the middle. I was looking for the Rega Apollo review when I noticed them. I know they've got to do what they've got to do, but couldn't they have found anyone else? To the unknowing customer, it gives credibility to the White Van guys. They probably all have it as part of their standard issue sales packet. |
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Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 1580 Registered: Feb-04 | Very bad news indeed! |
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Bronze Member Username: Juggy_25Post Number: 17 Registered: Apr-06 | how about the wharfedale 8.4s?? howz that for music and movies? |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 3365 Registered: Feb-05 | Much better! |
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Bronze Member Username: Juggy_25Post Number: 18 Registered: Apr-06 | which Rear speakers (Bookshelves) do you recommend with the Wharfedale 8.4s ? is there a significant quality difference between the wharfedale 8 series and 9 series? |
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Bronze Member Username: SerniterPiscataway, New Jersey USA Post Number: 24 Registered: Mar-06 | AFAIK, Sonodyne is a brand sold mostly in India. I've heard their satellite-subwoofer combinations at stores in malls and such places. They sounded ok, but then I wasnt trying to evaluate them. I dont know where you're located Juggy, but they do have showrooms in Mumbai where you could listen. I have Wharfedale 8.3s, and they are good. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 4173 Registered: Mar-05 | > Perhaps this gives them greater credibility. A good review of white van gear is certainly not forthcoming so the age old argument that they give good reviews to those who advertise with them will lose ground. True. It could be a case of taking candy from a baby...the advertisers are too thick to understand that the typical Stereophile reader is unlikely to fall for their shtick (compared to the average reader in the mass market rags that Bose advertises in), and Stereophile's accounting department doesn't mind that one bit. |