speakers under powered (1 Viewer)

[Sheldon-m]

I have the Fluance AV-5 which are rated a 8 Ohm and 160 watts. I have a Onkyo 601. it is rated at 85 watts per channel. Do you think they are under powered? One other thing they can be bi-wired, do you think i shound by wired them? Would that have a better sound. They just have connectors connecting both so in don't bi-wire them. THX all

 

[Eddie Horton]

Listening at sane levels, they aren't under powered. And keep in mind that doubling the power from around 80 to 160 would only give you 3dB more volume, so unless you're listening at ear splitting levels, you'll never have a problem with your receiver. As far as bi-wiring goes, my Ascend Acoustics CMT-340's can be bi-wired. I bought some Canare Star Quad cable with 4 14 gauge conductors and did it, but can tell no difference in the sound. I put bananas on the receiver end, spades on the speaker end, and used techflex and heat shrink tubing. It looks like really cool, really expensive speaker cable, but doesn't sound any better or worse than the 12 gauge from Home Depot that I started with.

 

[Sheldon-m]

Thanks. I Thought it would be fine, but just wasn't sure.
THX

 

[John Garcia]

Bi-wiring off a single channel will make no appreciable difference because you are still dealling with the same single channel of power. Bi-amping should make a noticable difference in clarity and detail.

The 160w rating on the speakers is a MAXIMUM that they can take safely, not a recommended or required power level.

 

[mike>r]

More power!!!!
I added an Outlaw 755 5x200wpc to my system a year and 1/2 ago and have no regrets.My surrounds were only rated 150wpc and I had some concerns, but after doing a little research i soon learned that you are more likely to damage something under-powering than over-powering, let your ears guide you.
Now my system has more head room in volume ,better clarity ,and listening to music... when the wax from my ears starts running down the side of my face I simply turn it down a scoch.
By the way it was an H/K 310 that I added the amp to,and it also runs cooler since I use it as a pre/pro.
So my advice to you for whatever its worth, is to add more power even if you exceed the speaker wpc with an amp just be cautious.

Mike

 

[lyradWong]

As long as the Amp output power is lower than the speakers, it is safe to connet it. You would blow away your speakers.

 

[Eddie Horton]

You can connect an amp that produces more power than the speakers are rated for and run it safely. It is true that damaging drivers by feeding them a clipped signal is easier than overpowering them. For most folks listening at sane levels, however, the receiver will do just fine pushing those 8 ohm speakers, but if you want to add an outboard amp it certainly won't hurt anything. Just be sure the dealer has a liberal return policy so you can take it back if you don't hear a difference.

 

[james_pierce]

My 2 cents. I would spend the money on upgrading to better speakers before buying more hardware.

 

[Charlie C]

"My 2 cents. I would spend the money on upgrading to better speakers before buying more hardware. " ditto

 

[TonyWright]

"My 2 cents. I would spend the money on upgrading to better speakers before buying more hardware. " tritto