Do I really need an Amplifier ?

Audiolab 7000CDT CD Transport
His recommendation was to do this type of ABX testing yourself and if you can not hear the difference don't spend the money. But do buy the ABX setup from RadioShack because without that it will be hard to tell the difference. Also do equalize the volume using pink noise.
 
Hi everyone!

Thank you for all the advices. I have now purchased a pre-owned Yamaha AX-390 integrated amplifier(general model-240V & 150W) & am looking to get the right speakers for it very soon.

With the help of couple of forum members and upon browsing, I realized that I need to purchase the speakers whose nominal impedance should match the amplifier impedance. Also, the power of the speakers (RMS) should be less than the amplifier's.

To get the specs, I downloaded the manual for the amplifier, but, I was pretty confused when I saw the numbers. I couldn't identify the specific wattage of the amplifier and also the exact impedance value as there are multiples values. Hence, I need your help to suggest the appropriate speakers (Budget < 30K) to be driven by this amp.

Here're the relevant specs for your reference.

Minimum RMS Output Power per Channel
8 Ohms, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 0.04% THD.....60W+60W
6 Ohms, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 0.04% THD.....65W+65W

Maximum Output Power
6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 10% THD [General model only].... 95W+95W

Dynamic Power per channel
8/6/4/2 Ohms.... 80/95/115/125W

http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/av/english/IntA/AX-390_e.pdf

Thanks!
 
Hi all,

Just adding to my previous thread and upon a bit more research today on youtube & going through articles on web, found very good reviews for Pioneer SP-FS52 speakers. Felt & feel that it would be nice to own :)

On checking the specs, see 130 Watt Power Handling and hence, as per my understanding, my amplifier need to be 50% more powerful than these speakers and hence, it has to be of 195 Watt RMS to drive the speakers without any damage. Also, got to know that, we need to consider the minimum RMS and not peak RMS when choosing amp. Since mine is 60 Watts per channel into 8ohms load, I think I can't use my amp for these speakers. Please let me know if incorrect.

Upon checking other speakers, found that few sites provide "Recommended/Suitable Amplifier Power & Impedance too. As an example,the recommended amplifier power specified is 20 - 120 watts and impedance is 6 ohms. Hence, as these values are supported by amp (values provided in my last thread), I think I can go ahead in purchasing such speakers. Please confirm. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Music Freak said:
Hi everyone!

Thank you for all the advices. I have now purchased a pre-owned Yamaha AX-390 integrated amplifier(general model-240V & 150W) & am looking to get the right speakers for it very soon.

With the help of couple of forum members and upon browsing, I realized that I need to purchase the speakers whose nominal impedance should match the amplifier impedance. Also, the power of the speakers (RMS) should be less than the amplifier's.

To get the specs, I downloaded the manual for the amplifier, but, I was pretty confused when I saw the numbers. I couldn't identify the specific wattage of the amplifier and also the exact impedance value as there are multiples values. Hence, I need your help to suggest the appropriate speakers (Budget < 30K) to be driven by this amp.

Here're the relevant specs for your reference.

Minimum RMS Output Power per Channel
8 Ohms, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 0.04% THD.....60W+60W
6 Ohms, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 0.04% THD.....65W+65W

Maximum Output Power
6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 10% THD [General model only].... 95W+95W

Dynamic Power per channel
8/6/4/2 Ohms.... 80/95/115/125W

http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/av/english/IntA/AX-390_e.pdf

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
Music Freak,

Pioneer SP-FS52 speakers should be good for entry level speaker (with Max power Handling 100, 87 DB Sensitivity )

Yamaha AX-390 integrated amplifier (65 Watts at 8 Ohms)

As per the recommendation amp should be atleast 2 times powerful than Speaker to run without distortion.

If you are so keen on the specifics then 120W Amp would be too costly to own.

Conclusion :Neither try with good Book shelf speakers ( Since they would be two way and One driver+Tweeter which will be not loading the amp much)

Nor try using the Yamaha with Pioneer SP-FS52 with normal volumes,without cranking the Knob more than 2 O Clock Position.

Just my advice, But wait for the opinion from the other FM's too.
 
Audio_Freek said:
Conclusion :Neither try with good Book shelf speakers ( Since they would be two way and One driver+Tweeter which will be not loading the amp much)

Nor try using the Yamaha with Pioneer SP-FS52 with normal volumes,without cranking the Knob more than 2 O Clock Position.

Just my advice, But wait for the opinion from the other FM's too.
Click to expand...

Hi!

Thanks for your response. I think you meant, I have to try any of these. Alright, shall await.

Thanks!
 
Music Freak said:
Hi all,
On checking the specs, see 130 Watt Power Handling and hence, as per my understanding, my amplifier need to be 50% more powerful than these speakers and hence, it has to be of 195 Watt RMS to drive the speakers without any damage.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

You only need that much amp power if you will drive the speakers to the maximum volume (SPL level). Most of us don't. So having an amp that has 2X or 1.5X the rating of the minimum power rating of the speaker should be okay.

The min power spec is not given for this speaker but assuming it is 20W, a 40W speaker should be good.

In general, your amp is fairly decent and should drive most speakers. Just don't try to blast the music too high.
 
Hi,

Thanks so much for the clarification!

Thought so because as you know, if the amplifier is less powerful than speakers then the transmitted sound/signal will be obviously weak & hence, we try and increase the volume more than required, which can generate unwanted distortion/noise & can cause damage to the speakers.

Alright, so, my amp can drive these speakers decently and thereby can generate adequate sound without me having to crank up the volume.

I did try to find the min power of speakers, be it on the owner's manual/product sheet pdfs..in vain. These speakers have terrific reviews on the net and I really like the look, in my fav color & well within in my budget (< 30K) :)

SP-FS52 |

Thanks again!

asliarun said:
You only need that much amp power if you will drive the speakers to the maximum volume (SPL level). Most of us don't. So having an amp that has 2X or 1.5X the rating of the minimum power rating of the speaker should be okay.

The min power spec is not given for this speaker but assuming it is 20W, a 40W speaker should be good.

In general, your amp is fairly decent and should drive most speakers. Just don't try to blast the music too high.
Click to expand...
 
Audio_Freek said:
Music Freak,

Pioneer SP-FS52 speakers should be good for entry level speaker (with Max power Handling 100, 87 DB Sensitivity )

Yamaha AX-390 integrated amplifier (65 Watts at 8 Ohms)

As per the recommendation amp should be atleast 2 times powerful than Speaker to run without distortion.

If you are so keen on the specifics then 120W Amp would be too costly to own.

Conclusion :Neither try with good Book shelf speakers ( Since they would be two way and One driver+Tweeter which will be not loading the amp much)

Nor try using the Yamaha with Pioneer SP-FS52 with normal volumes,without cranking the Knob more than 2 O Clock Position.

Just my advice, But wait for the opinion from the other FM's too.
Click to expand...

-----------------------------------------------------------------

According to the logic, I've made a blunder.
After lot of deliberation and discussion, I've bought Marantz PM6004 and POLK 330TSxT (FS). Marantz PM6004 delivers only 45watt/channel @8 ohms. but music produced by this combo sounds very well to my ears :):) And most of the time volume knob remains anywhere between 9 and 10 clock position. In case of Trance/EDM(but not for all tracks) I push it to 11 clock position and if I need added thump, I press 'loudness' button on PM6004.
Do you want to throw some light on it?

Regards,
Amit
 
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I would like to share the mail which i have received from volumate Chennai, regarding my query on matching amp to Speaker power handling. Hope this may be useful for initial understanding.

"
what you must understand is more power in an Amplifier doesn't entirely translate to better sound. It is only applicable at very high dB levels. A low powered Amplifier will lose its efficiency and distort sooner than a more powerful one as you turn up your volume higher than normal. So, a high-powered Amplifier will have more stability at only very loud volumes, which in turn, will only be useful if you are a loud music listener or you have a very big room to fill.

For mid-sized rooms, a power rating of 15-35W is enough as told by many experts. You might have found some cheaper Amplifiers having a power output of nearly 100+W, while the Marantz feature only 40W at nearly double the price. Why? Simple.

Marantz & Scansonic has more transparency in their spec sheets which feature only Continuous Power figures, while the other cheaper brands rely on just big Dynamic Power figures.

Dynamic Power ? Continuous Power.

The Marantz has a continuous power rating of 40W and has the ability to hit more than double its power. Meaning, it can cross 100W at certain instances of time, when there is demand for such power at certain extreme frequencies or at some sudden dynamics raise in the recorded volume of the track. This doesnt mean that the Marantz can continuously run its amplification part at 100+W. That is just a temporary hike in power.

These days, Speakers have also become very efficient and sensitive. They no longer require high power to reach decent dB levels. Thus, you dont need to invest on some 100W Amplifier to get the best output from the Speakers.

"
 
Rabepobemababe said:
Everybody starts their audio journey like this (me included), and so I will try not to laugh.

I would be very surprised if your mini-hifi puts out more than 5 watts per channel continuous average power at less than 1% THD. That would be decent for a small to somewhat medium sized rooms. 470 watts quoted by the manufacturer is just rubbish, if not fraudulent. I remember that in late 1990s there was case filed against T-Series by a consumer forum for quoting 10,000 watts power output for a mini-hifi system that it manufactured.

Start your journey by buying a low cost stereo amplifier from an established hifi brand like Cambridge Audio (Topaz AM-5 comes to my mind). You will know what it is when you listen to it.
Click to expand...
I tried so hard not to laugh when a guy said a sales guy told him the 20k logitech speaker has 450w rms,i tried to explain to him but he seems to lost interest when i started talking about driver efficiency,THD etc
 
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Note that it is also over simplistic to say that 15-35 watts RMS are enough for small to mid sized rooms. There are other factors. Speaker impedance and efficiency for example. I used to have Totem Model 1 (Dynaudio drivers) and they really opened up when I fed them with a power amp that had an output of 120w at 8ohms and 200w at 4 ohms.and all this in a mid sized room (15x25).
 
There 9 is a lot of misinformation being proposed by high end amplifier and high end speaker companies in order to sell additional stuff to consumers who have money but do not understand fully the s ience behind all this. There is a speaker company call Harbeth. It's owner Alan Shaw has decided to dispel some of this misinformation. Google his name. He has explained all this and more in some if Harbeth forums. It will require a basic understanding of ohms law and electricity though. But most people can follow along. Let me know if you don't find it and I will put in the link.
 
asliarun said:
Note that it is also over simplistic to say that 15-35 watts RMS are enough for small to mid sized rooms. There are other factors. Speaker impedance and efficiency for example. I used to have Totem Model 1 (Dynaudio drivers) and they really opened up when I fed them with a power amp that had an output of 120w at 8ohms and 200w at 4 ohms.and all this in a mid sized room (15x25).
Click to expand...

Actually i have query on selecting speaker + amplifier matching power requirements for the small room (10x12).

Because most of the FM's is asking about room size before giving suggestion on speaker,Amp for Stereo setup.

Can any one please make it more clear on this power requirements(RMS matching) for selecting Stereo separates based on room size.
 
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