Is Yamaha 5760 too good... (1 Viewer)

[Danny_JP]

Is the Yamaha 5760 too good a reciever to pair up with a set of JBL NSP1's? Basically, am I going to be spending money on an awesome reciever, when the speakers may not be good enough to really reflect its quality?

 

[Mike Fassler]

can they ever be too good? you can always upgrade the speakers in the future

 

[LanceJ]

Um, that's a lot of receiver for those little guys to handle: 4" woofers + 95 continuous watts per channel (20Hz-20kHz) = be careful. In other words, one too many turns of the volume control and POOF! Too much clean power is definitely better than too little distorted power but there's a limit to even that concept.

So unless you're planning a speaker upgrade in the near future, IMO I would check out a less powerful receiver. And while I'm not knocking JBL speakers, such tiny satellites from any manufacturer never do much for me sound-wise because sonically speaking, they are difficult to seemlessly match to a sub's output.

And the money saved by going to a smaller receiver could be used for larger--or higher quality--speakers. Though knowing the size of your listening room would help with this decision.

 

[Danny_JP]

Hmmm... hadn't thought about the power level. The JBLs are supposed to be able to handle 100W each, and the reciever rates 95W per channel 20htz to 20khtz. Then again, I suppose since it can power 7 channels, the power level for 5 channels would be significantly higher. Well, I might be willing to part with some more money... What would you guys consider a significantly better speaker system? Oh, btw, my listening room is about 12x18 ft. You're probably right Lance. It might be best to downgrade on the reciever and upgrade on the speakers, since my listening room is a bit small.

Also, I chose the NSP1's particularly because I could wall mount them, since I dont really have the space for speaker towers or stands. If I were to change speakers, it would have to be another set that could be relatively small and wall mounted.

 

[LanceJ]

That 100 watt rating is almost surely a "max" or "peak" rating and not a continuous one, even if bass management is used. And even with my own receiver set to its 100Hz crossover point for experimentation purposes, the 8" woofers in my Bostons still got quite a workout. And with speakers that use four inch woofers (wooferettes? ) 100Hz is probably the lowest xover you should use. And IMO subs crossed over at such a high point don't usually sound too good, and their output can begin to be localized.

But if have to have on-wall speakers, there are a pretty wide array of choices, some small (just be careful with the volume) and some medium-to-large ones. The following are partly mentioned because they are usually easy to audition somewhere:

* JBL Studio Series 3-way with 6.5" woofer

* Just found these today on Boston's site (so I have no idea what they sound like):

P4 Series (kinda pricey though for what I think you are looking for?)

* I think Circuit City still sells these:

Infinity 2-Way 6-1/2" On-Wall Speaker

The regular Entra series sounds quite good IMO.

BTW: Just remember that it's just me that doesn't like using tiny satellites in any type of system, whereas some people find them to be perfectly acceptable. For example, I just bought two Pioneers with 8" woofers for my rear channels in my own system and they made a huge, and positive, difference compared to the RatShak Minimus speakers (those heavy aluminum models) with 5" woofers I've been using for two years. For surround music AND movies my system now sounds much fuller and front-to-back sound transitions are now (obviously) almost completely seamless. I'm a bachelor so utilizing such a semi-full-range system is not a problem but I realize not everyone has this option.

 

[NicholasTS]

Danny, I had the NSP1 II's with an HTR-5650. That receiver is rated 95 watts x 6 @ 1kHz --just like the new HTR-5760. It is not too much for those speakers. The whole idea of getting the NSP1 II system was to save money and still get wonderful sound--it works. The only reason I got rid of them is because I wanted to get a Klipsch RF-35 system and I was just ready to upgrade with nothing better to spend my money on. In my oppinion, the NSP1 II system with a JBL PB10 or a Dayton, or other subs like them would be more than sufficient for the casual home theater experience. Don't spend the extra money getting the larger better performing speakers just because we think you should. If you like what you hear, don't bother. Get the HTR-5760, or heck, get the HTR-5650 I'm selling. Just don't sacrifice if you don't really need to.

 

[Danny_JP]

Well, I actually haven't been able to audition any speakers. I've been going by user reviews and opinions on the forums. It seems NSP1 is a decent set of speakers, but im big on audio and music and I think I would appreciate it in the long run if I got something much better. Just like you Nick, I really dont have anything else to spend my money on . I've been looking at the JBL S-series. Everyone raves about the S38II, but I dont think I could fit those monsters in my room. The S36II seems smaller and can be wall mounted. S-Center is the center channel designed to harmonize with the rest of the S-Series. I realize I would be spending much much more money on these speakers than the NSP1's, but, if anything, I can buy it in pieces. The left and right, and then later the center and surrounds. Any good ideas for surround channels to go with this setup?

 

[LanceJ]

My 95W/20Hz-20kHz figure was obtained from J&R's spec page. And sure, one could use a Crown commercial amp rated at 1,000 watts RMS with the little JBLs.......as long as the volume wasn't turned up too far. I'm not trying to be a jerk by saying that, it's just the truth.

But after reading of so many members here having speakers that "mysteriously" stopped working, I'm beginning to believe in many cases all this talk about reference level listening for people not equipped with the proper components are accidently (& needlessly) frying their own speakers.

Unlike too-small amps which clearly sound nasty when pushed too far, thus giving a warning to the owner to turn them down (in turn saving their speakers), too-powerful amps simply continue to cleanly become louder and louder. And while a woofer may give some warning when pushed too far, that clattering noise they produce when the cone bottoms out may get lost among the racket from all of a movie's sound effects and the rumbling from the subwoofer. But tweeters? From personal experience :b these particular drivers--90% of the time with no warning--simply give up & burn out. If you check out the typical tweeter's wire thickness that is used for its voice coil, you'll see one of the reasons why this happens this way.

Unlike most music, a movie's soundtrack can exhibit a very wide dynamic range, from total silence to a full-bore explosion literally a second later (this adds a lot to the movie's emotional impact). I think a lot of people that aren't familiar with this situation innocently crank up their system to hear the dialog in a normal conversation on a starship's bridge & then a while later are caught by surprise when the shock wave from the exploding moon of Praxis rolls overhead. Then the next day, they realize the synths on their New Wave comp CD don't sound right.

And I must be showing my age, but to me those S38s are barely mid-sized speakers. Speakers that are large to me are the Klipsch RF7, the Mirage OM-5, the B&W Nautilus 802, etc. My Boston CR9s are the same size as the S38s (where do people keep finding these out-of-production models?) & I have them set up in a slightly smaller room than Danny's and they sound fine to me. And the bass isn't boomy or bloated, the effect that some people worry about when considering bass wave sizes vs. room dimensions. The performance of these speakers in this room is also why I'm not in a big hurry to buy a subwoofer (besides the fact that the neighbors already complain about the bass that the CR9s can produce all by themselves).

But if you're thinking of placing four S38s in that room, that might be a tight squeeze! Personally, I would buy a pair of JBL E30s or E20s for the rear channels instead. And if you're thinking of building a surround music system, I would buy the E30s for that purpose & that particular room size.

Danny, I would really recommend trying to audition these sub/sat systems vs. those "monster" S38s (or their follow-up model, the E50)--IMO there can be a large difference in sound quality & realism. A matched set of small sats can sound good......but when you then hear a matched set of larger speakers the difference can be startling. Why do think HSU came out with that neat little "Ventriloquist" system with the special center channel?

And no, I'm not a lobbyist for The Humongous Loudspeaker Consortium. I'm just bothered about the amount of slick marketing a certain non-audiophile company (ahem) does as far as using tiny sats is concerned.

Putting together a receiver and a set of speakers can be tricky sometimes and the resulting system is never going to be perfect--I just try to make a good compromise & usually make decisions based on the safer side of things.