Home audio & video forum: Amplifier to suit this speakers (1 Viewer)

Hi there! I have been using my Sony MHC GX450 for a while now, but it has been a problem with the power supply that cannot be fixed. For that reason, I was thinking in buying a new amplifier/receiver in order to continue using the 2 speakers and the subwoofer. Here the specifications: http://www.cnet.com/products/sony-mhc-gx450-mini-system/specs/

So, I was wondering what kind of amplifier would I be needing in order to use the max of my speakers (I really like to listen to loud music). Do you thinkg something like the
Yamaha RX-V377 will do the job? I really dont want to throw the speakers away and buy a new ones, since this ones sound nicely.

Thanks in advance!

The specs don't list sensitivity, but according to the Sony site they're 6 ohm speakers, so any decent receiver should drive them just fine. The sub is powered, so will work with any modern receiver. So pick a receiver based on features you'll need and cost. (I'm a Yamaha fan, so +1 on the v377!)

Hi, thanks for answering! I am a little confused about the watts required for my speakers. As far as I see, the subwoofer needs 150 wts and the other two speakers need 125 wts each. Checking for a receiver with channels of 125+ on internet I saw than they are really expensive (more than 700$) and that this kind of potency is not the 'average', but considerable higher. Am I right or am I just misunderstanding some concepts?

Thanks again!

Speakers don't "need watts".

That is merely a "maximum".

What Sam said; in addition, active subs (the primary kind these days) supply their own power, so don't have to match anything.


The most important speaker spec is ohms. 6+ and you're fine, 4 and you'll need to be more selective with an upscale receiver, below 4 and you're talking HTIBs and they're not compatible with standard receivers. The secondary spec is sensitivity. Wattage is meaningless, but they put it on there so they don't lose anyone to another brand that lists it.

But isn't wattage the sepc that tells you how 'loud' the speaker is capable of sounding? So, if my speakers have a 'maximum' of 125 wts and I use a receiver of 70 wts, wouldn't I be using half of the capability of the speaker? Relating to brands: is anyone more recommended that other? Onkyo, Yamaha?

Thanks guys and nice weekend!

But isn't wattage the sepc that tells you how 'loud' the speaker is capable of sounding? So, if my speakers have a 'maximum' of 125 wts and I use a receiver of 70 wts, wouldn't I be using half of the capability of the speaker?

Click to expand...

The answer is no, for a number of reason. The speaker wattage rating is max, the receiver rating is RMS, or average. Also, if you use a decibel calculator you'll find that you can easily go deaf from about 20w of power. The rest of the receiver's power is for peaks. If you want loud speakers, the number you want to concentrate on is sensitivity.

Relating to brands: is anyone more recommended that other? Onkyo, Yamaha?

Click to expand...

The usual list of decent receiver brands (non-elite category) is Yamaha, Onkyo, Marantz, Pioneer, Denon, and Harman/Kardon. The leaders tend to ebb and flow. Onkyo is historically known for best bang for the buck (most features at each price point); to a lesser degree they have been criticized for build quality. H/K was always the one with the best amplifier section, but that seems to have waned. (Just like speakers, the stats for receivers have some fluff/marketing pumped in; H/K's usually met or exceeded their specs). But really, pick the brand that has the features you want at your price point; just make sure you get it from an authorized dealer so the warranty is honored.

Adding to what AI said...

I doubt Sony provided a sensitivity rating on those(still have the manual? It might list it)

I bet they are ridiculously inefficient. Like 75db.

Regardless, learn what efficiency and power doubling means.

If these really are 75db(would be shocked at anything over 80)...

1 watt is 75.
2 watts is 78.
4 watts is 81.
8 is 84.
16 is 87.
32 is 90.
64 is 93.
128 is 96(this speakers theoretical maximum).

Start over with a pair of Klipsch RB62(same basic size) that is...

1 watt is 95
2 watts is 98

So on.

So those Klipsch are louder on 2 watts...than these Sony, might be, on 128 watts.

I checked the manual:

Front speaker
Continuous RMS power output (reference): 125+125 watts (6 ohms at 1 kHz, 10% THD)
Total harmonic diatortion: lesz than 0.07% (6ohms at 1 kHz, 60 W)

What do u think?

nicoms91 said:

I checked the manual:

Front speaker
Continuous RMS power output (reference): 125+125 watts (6 ohms at 1 kHz, 10% THD)
Total harmonic diatortion: lesz than 0.07% (6ohms at 1 kHz, 60 W)

What do u think?

Click to expand...

That is power output.

What does it say....

About the speakers?

DB rating?
Frequency range?

(And 6ohm at 1khz at 10% distortion to come up with 125 watts. Sad. That probably means that .5% distortion at 20hz to 20khz is 20 watts per channel.

I'm not checking the 377. But, if it was allowed 10% distortion at 6ohm at 1khz. It could probably cough up 400 watts per channel. Yes, that is exaggerated. But so is the Sony rating)

The global manual for the Sony GX450 lists 125 wpc @ 6 ohms and 10% thd from 120hz-10khz. For North American models it doesn't list the frequency range. Those are very poor specs compared to the 377 but typical for a shelf system. 10% thd is un-listenable. It also doesn't list the SPL of the speakers.


The Yamaha 377 (or any other name brand one) would be over-kill for those speakers. You shouldn't be worried about the Yamaha being strong enough for the speakers but worried about the speakers ability to handle good, clean power. If you hooked those speakers up to a Harman Kardon 7300 and cranked it up I would probably hear the explosion here on the West Coast!

The Yamaha 377 will be fine, OP. But at some point in the future, you will want to replace those speakers. Stop trying to buy an AVR to suit the speakers.

I definitely agree with that last statement. You could spend $35 on a pair of Daytons and get better speakers than what you're trying to keep.

Hi guys, thank you for all your replies! Finally, I have to choose between the:

• Yamaha HTR-4066-R Factory Refurbished 5.1 ($210)
• Onkyo TX-SR313 New ($160)
• Yamaha RX-V377-R 5.1 Refurbished ($200)

Do you think the extra money is worth it? My plan is to use it with my speaker for a while till I can buy a better ones (only the speakers, since I think the subwoofer sounds pretty good )


Thanks again and nice weekend!

I'm a Yamaha fan, but of those I'd probably get the Onkyo. Mostly for the price, but also because it has an actual A/B switch. (Of course, if you don't think you'd ever use speakers in another room, then the A/B switch is worthless.)


On the other hand, it looks like it doesn't have auto-calibration, and that makes it a harder call. I have an SPL meter, so I wouldn't mind calibrating it myself. If you bought one that would up the price about $40. Or you could wing it.


Edit: I almost forgot, I scanned the features, but you should scour them to make sure one of those doesn't have a feature you'd use a lot that the others don't have.

Also found this reveicer interesting:

Pioneer VSX-524-K ($200)

It is hard to offer advice on which(of the now 4) AVR to get, without knowing your use....

Need Bluetooth?
Front HDMI? (Not sure any of those has one on the front)
Front USB?

Pretty sure they all have "HDMI passthrough in standby"(yes, that is a feature. Do all have it? Do you need it?)

Which remote do you like best?...since you'll be touching it a bunch.

It sometimes comes down to a feature no one here can guess OP will like. Yamaha has those programmable "Scene" buttons on the fronts of their AVRs. Someone might like an AVR that "remembers" the decoder/DSP setting for separate inputs. Or prefer that controls are covered by a swivel faceplate. ... At a certain point, no one here can determine "which is better for me" for anyone but oneself. ,:}