Matching speakers to the Receiver. I think I got it wrong. (1 Viewer)

[sigmapifsc]

Hi Gang,

Receiver:
Pioneer VSX 819H
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/HomeEntertainment/AV-Receivers/PioneerReceivers/ci.VSX-819H-K.Kuro

Speakers: M&K Speakers
http://www.mksoundsystem.com/mk150.htm

The sound is great. But with various movies, when a loud part of the movie comes on, the receiver shuts off into protection mode. Then I can turn it back on and I'm back in action.

The fix is to turn down the volume. But, then I have a hard time hearing some of the center dialogue.

From what I gathered, my speakers are pulling too much power from the receiver. So, can someone help me learn what kind of receiver would be good for these speakers?

The Paperwork on the speakers tells me they are rated for 4 Ohms, and the subwoofer is rated for 350 Watts.

The receiver manual tells me it is designed for speakers ranging from 6 ohms to 16 ohms.

So, my system is not terrible, but this is really bothering me. So... Advice please! Do I ditch my amazing M&K speakers for smaller ones? I hate to do that... or, do I swap out my new receiver for something else. And if swap out the receiver, What should I look for? Watts per channel? Ohms? I just want this puppy to be the best sound possible. I want to be able to crank up star wars when nobody is in the house, and get that killer surround / movie theater sound! I feel like I'm close!

Best,
Ethan-

 

[Robert_J]

As you stated, your receiver is designed to drive speakers with an impedance of no lower than 6 ohms. You bought 4 ohm speakers. That is your problem.

Some Pioneer receivers can drive 4 ohm speakers. My VSX-1014 can even though it has the same note about 6 to 16 ohms as your receiver. I read the reviews before buying so I knew what I was getting.

After the MCACC calibration, what are your main speakers set to? Mine get set to large so I go back into the menu and set them to small. I also boost the sub by 3db to run it a little hot. Otherwise the automatic settings are perfect for my listening. Dialog is easy to understand. Just make sure the room is as quiet as possible during calibration and you have the mic at ear level in your favorite seat. I use a camera tripod.

 

[sigmapifsc]

Thank you for the advice! Yes, the speakers were aquired about 10 years ago and have come to each system I've set up. However, this receiver is really the best sound separation for me. The last time I changed my receiver was a yamaha from 6 years ago.

Ok, so, I went back into the settings, changed the front speakers from small to large, did some research to adjust the switches on the back on my subwoofer and then I lowered the level of front speakers, bumped up the center speaker and the rear speakers and it made a really big difference.

The biggest difference, is that I can get MUCH better sound with out needing to take the volume past 30. My problem before, was that when I took the volume past 40, which I really needed to get some amazing sound, that is when the trouble would start. As soon as the movie got loud... poof... so, I always needed to keep the movie volume to 37 or so. But now, after putting more time into the adjustments, I can keep the volume to about 27, and the sound is really great. I can hear the surround much better. I've not tested it with a full movie yet, but I gotta be optimistic. I think the speakers draw too much power when the volume is up around 40.

So far so good!

I've been reading the Pioneer manual, and see the cross over setting. From what I understand, this is the "line" that is drawn in the sand for base correct? If it is a 100 hz, then any sounds lower than 100 will be sent to the sub woofer. Is there a reason I would not want to lower that to like 50 or 80?

Best,
Ethan

 

[Robert_J]

1. Keep your speakers on small setting. This will limit the frequencies and in turn limit the power going to them. If you can limit the power drain on your amp, you may not have it shut down.
2. You manually adjusted your settings. Use MCACC. It's very accurate with the exception of wanting to set speakers to large.
3. It is not that your speakers "draw" power. There is less resistance so your amp can deliver more power than it was designed to do. It is the difference between "pulling" and "pushing".
4. I like my crossover at 80hz. That's someone's (THX, Dolby or both) standard. But again, by lowering your receiver's crossover you are going to push more power through the mains. Again that will drain your amp section of the receiver.

I had a similar issue with my Pioneer. The loud shot at the beginning of the new Batman. Any gunshot in Apaloosa. Click and the receiver would shut down. I moved it from a 15 amp circuit in my room to a 20 amp circuit in my room and no more issues. My house wiring couldn't provide the power needed for the amp.