I am probably going to get a pair of these, but I only have a hk 3380 reciever that puts out 80watts/chnl and those speakers are rated up to 250 I believe. Would I be critically underpowering them?
Other question is...for slightly cheaper I could pick up a pair of B2.2's from Athena. Would these maybe work better with my wimpy reciever or should I go balls to the wall?
1. No. 2. The B2.2's would need a subwoofer to get respectable bass output. Performance could be better in this configuration (depending on the quality of subwoofer). The B1.2 with an HSU STF-1 would be a pretty nice combo though.
A couple questions though. How big is your room first of all? Also, what kind of usage will this system be getting?
Thanks for the advice. The room is about 15'X 30'. I wanted to get a sub but I live in an apartment and I don't want to become the bane of my neighbors existence but maybe I could keep it turned down.
The system will be pure music but I have a pretty ecclectic music taste that ranges from all sorts of electronica to post-rock to folk and well just about everything else.
It is certainly understandable that you don't wish to tick off your neighbors, and subs do have a tendancy to do this. In any event, the F2's would certainly do the job well; just try not to push to volume to high, as its bass is still reasonably strong (although not as deep as most subwoofers of respectable quality).
That HK would be awesome. I have the F2s and they can easily fill a room with sound with minimal power. I am powering them with a panny xr-55 which i think puts out 100w/channel but i guarantee your hk would put out more power. HK receivers are very honest and do not overexaggerate their specs like so many others.
db-bass is pretty spot on there. I also use that specific receiver with speakers that are 7dB less efficient (meaning they need more than 4x the power to drive) than the F2s, and they definately get loud enough for me to rock out when needed.