Onkyo TX-NR686

[Kratos420]

I just bought an Onkyo NR686, (my first Onkyo) it sounds great and setup was a breeze. However, when playing any kind of input, HDMI, RCA, USB or wireless I have to set the volume level at a minimum of “45” to get a decent level of sound. Is this a “Onkyo” thing or something else? In most of the video reviews that I’ve seen, the reviewer always had the volume setting at “47” or above. So I am inclined to think that it’s a “Onkyo” thing or my speakers. What I have now is, 2 Jensen twin cone floor standers and a Klipsch center channel, all rated at 8 ohms and all over 25 years old. I am planning on getting a new speaker set which brings me to my main question. Will installing speakers with a nominal rating of 6 ohms provide more volume at a lower setting or does it really make that much of a difference?

 

[surfatwork]

Loudness depends on the sensitivity of your speakers.
Your speaker can provide a certain amount of sound pressure when fed 1W. The speaker impedance determines how hard your amp has to work to produce that 1W. A lower impedance speaker demands more current from your amp, making it work harder.

 

[elangoas]

I just bought an Onkyo NR686, (my first Onkyo) it sounds great and setup was a breeze. However, when playing any kind of input, HDMI, RCA, USB or wireless I have to set the volume level at a minimum of “45” to get a decent level of sound. Is this a “Onkyo” thing or something else? In most of the video reviews that I’ve seen, the reviewer always had the volume setting at “47” or above. So I am inclined to think that it’s a “Onkyo” thing or my speakers. What I have now is, 2 Jensen twin cone floor standers and a Klipsch center channel, all rated at 8 ohms and all over 25 years old. I am planning on getting a new speaker set which brings me to my main question. Will installing speakers with a nominal rating of 6 ohms provide more volume at a lower setting or does it really make that much of a difference?

It is common on across all the AVR.. Assuming you have calibrated the speakers already using AVR set-up, and if you switch to dB volume scale, you will fairly know at what volume levels do you play.. Usually the values are between -20 dB to -10dB on my AVR.. ( Denon AVR x 3300, volume starts from -75 dB all the way to + 18dB)..

This volume levels may change on your AVR, depending on your room size & speaker sensitivity..