Receiver and amplifier help (1 Viewer)

[MrRodgers]

I have a 1000watt speaker system (500watts for a passive amp) and a 500 watt receiver (Yamaha Rx-v371) now i know that wont work so im looking to get either a better receiver or an amplifier/pre-amplifier. the problem is that i dont know what im looking for.
if i get an amp do i need a pre amp?
should the amp be 1000w? im not sure what i need.
also i am unsure if my receiver has a pre out or not.
any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Jason Charlton]

Hi Ian, welcome to the forum.

Trying to "equalize" the "watts" between speakers and receiver is not the right way to approach things.

For one, receiver wattage and speaker wattage are not even measured the same way, so you're essentially comparing apples to oranges.

What speakers do you currently have?

Is there something about the system's performance that you feel is lacking?

That Yamaha receiver is a decent mid-level model. 100wpc combined with efficient speakers (sensitivity in the 88dB range and higher) should provide PLENTY of volume even for largish rooms.

The receiver does have a pre-out for a subwoofer - if you are using a passive subwoofer, you should change that right away and get a decent powered subwoofer.

Let us know what it is you're trying to accomplish, and hopefully we can provide some good first steps for you.

 

[MrRodgers]

i have the kinetic ka-6100.
my goal was to see if i can get my passive sub to work with my receiver but the moment that i plug in my sub with the speakers the receiver instantly shuts down. i assume that the receiver is not powerful enough to do it all. i am currently just using the 5 speakers and they work just fine.
i was looking into getting a powered sub but still wasnt sure what was good. my price range was from 100 to 300.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Sorry to have to break this to you, but you should check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_van_speaker_scam

In particular, the list of known brands associated with this scam: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_van_speaker_scam#Brands_associated_with_the_scam

The speakers are the weak link in your system, not the receiver. My guess is that the speakers themselves have an impedance lower than 8 ohms, and thus they tax your receiver more than typical 8 ohm speakers would. The receiver shuts down to protect itself from getting any permanent damage.

Only high end (or upper mid-range) receivers will work with low impedance speakers. Replacing the receiver with one that will do the job will certainly cost you more than $300 and you'll still be stuck with the not-so-great speakers.

If your receiver can drive the 5 speakers OK by themselves, then a powered subwoofer might be an OK stopgap solution that will improve the 5.1 performance until you can shop for some new speakers.

In the $100-$300 range, here are several commonly recommended subwoofers:

- The Dayton 12" model from Parts-Express $129 here.
- The Bic F-12 from Amazon.com for $192 here.
- The Lava 12" model for under $300 (with HTF discount) here.

Any of these subs would be decent investments and worthy additions to any home theater. In fact, many around here consider the Bic to be the best under $200 sub out there.