Receiver for Studio 40's? (1 Viewer)

[John S Smith]

Hello all

I've just purchased Studio 40's v3 and I did intend to drive them with Yammy RX V750.
Nominal rating on this unit is 100W and I thought it would be adequate for both Music and HT but a recent post suggested not?
Why not?

Anyone?

..john

 

[RobWil]

Considering the Studio 40's are fairly efficient at 91dB sensitivity, and being 8ohm speakers you'd think it was plenty under normal circumstances. Having said that, I'm driving mine with a NAD C320BEE rated at 50wpc with no problem. I have a smallish, enclosed room and very rarely have to turn the volume past 9-10 o'clock depending on the CD....but never over 11 o'clock. I think the NAD is very under-rated for power however.....I think one review rated it closer to 80.....don't know about that but it has tons of reserves and a very well designed amp section. I would suspect the Yamaha to be (arguably) a little over-rated for power but I think unless you listen at obscene levels it would work fairly well. On the other hand, I was thinking about upgrading and called a local NAD dealer who recommended more power for the Studio 40's...like possibly the NAD 372 at 120-150 (under-rated) wpc. You can take that for whatever it's worth but having done some research I would come to the conclusion that more power would provide optimal performance (especially in HT) whereas ours would still provide very acceptable performance. This probably doesn't help you much, eh?
BTW, I'm currently only using mine for 2-channel stereo.

 

[Benihana]

well, yamaha's power ratings are nominal in their flagship models, but not the lower end models, I remember i bought a Yamaha HTR-5250 for $500 and it was 100x5, but then after a magazine bench tested it, it only came out to 35x5 all channels driven with average distortion figures, which is terrible unless you have like 95+db/watt efficient speakers. When they say Yamahas are bright, thats the reason, it starts thinning out because of the lack of power. However, if the receiver has preamp outputs, you can buy an outboard 2 channel amp around the 100-200 watt range, and you should be set.

 

[Kevin. W]

Should be fine as long as you just don't crank it. Whe it comes to the output of the Yamaha, the 35x5 is with all channels driven at the same time. A scenario that you are unlikely to ever reach. In the future you may want too look into adding a amp too at least give you the added headroom.

Kevin

 

[John S Smith]

SNIP>
This probably doesn't help you much, eh?

 

[mackie]

I use a Denon 3803(110w x7) and Outlaw M200 monoblocks to drive my Studio 40s. In my opinion, the amplifiers really are overkill since I really can't tell the difference in sound between the 3803 only driving the speakers and the 3803 +M200 driving the speakers under normal listening conditions. The 40s don't seem to be that hard to drive if used with a sub.

 

[Kevin. W]

If your setup is too be used more for music then get a 2ch amp, but if you watch more movies I would suggest a 3ch. This way you front soundstage is kept the same. Personally I have a NAD S250(5x125w) hooked to my Pioneer 56TXi(pre/pro) powering my 40's and ADP's. If you have about $1K to spend you may want too look into the NAD at www.saturdayaudio.com

Kevin

 

[John S Smith]

You know I'm really out of my depth here. As this will be both my first HT and a long time since I've been able to afford higher end Speakers, I suspect that whatever I use will sound awesome and that fairly soon I'll get upgradeitis and move components into another room anyway so I guess I'll stick with the Yamaha until then.

My Paradigm dealer however is pushing the new Marantz SR7500 ($1,000)saying that he doubts I'll be happy with the Yamaha so who knows, if he catches me at a weak moment.......

Thanks everyone, speakers (Studio 40 Front and 470 Center) arrive at the end of the week and I haven't quite finished making the cabinets yet!

..john

 

[mackie]

You'll enjoy the setup you're getting. If you do upgrade your receiver, shop around and look for deals. There are a lot of them out there.

 

[NickYours]

I listened to the Studio 20's and 40's paired with the Marantz 7500 before I decided on B&W's and they sounded great. I opted for B&W's because I wanted floor standing fronts and I couldn't justify the price of the studio floor standers.

I ended up getting the 7500 and I am really happy with it so far. Haven't had it long enough yet to give a full review, but I think I made the right decision uping the budget to get the Marantz. If you want something with good sound and decent power, plus all the latest bells and whistles (minues DVI switching) consider the 7500.