I have a Marantz SR5000 receiver that says it features "front 100 watt x 2 (stereo mode), 70 watt x 5 (surround mode)."
A friend offered me a free 150 watt center speaker. Is that too big? Not big enough? What's the best wattage for my receiver?
2007-03-08 04:20:34 · 8 answers · asked by mick 2 in Consumer Electronics ➔ Home Theater
What you don't want is a speaker that is rated for less wattage than your amplifier can put out. This will cause the speaker to be overworked and distort the sound. Since your amplifier is rated for 70 watts per channel in surround sound mode that 150 watt center speaker would probably work fine. However, one thing that might cause a problem is speaker sensitivity. It is better to have the center channel speaker sensitivity match or be close to the sensitivity of the two front speakers. I believe in the Marantz setup you can adjust for differences in sensitivity but better to be close.
As for wattage for your receiver, 70 watts is reasonable if you're not planning on trying to shake the walls. However if you're having to crank the volume control over 1/2 way then I'd be looking for something much larger.
2007-03-08 04:46:15 · answer #1 · answered by gkk_72 7 · 1⤊ 4⤋
GP4RTS is correct for the most part, you'll rarely use more than a few watts to the center. Your best bet is to get a center speaker that is sonically matched to the stereo pair. Check with the manufacturer of your mains for a recommendation. The one part GP4RTS got wrong was his assumption that the center channel doesn't carry bass signal. That rests soley on the processor being used. My Onkyo has multiple settings for the center. On the full image setting, the t-rex chasing the suv in Jurassic park would overload a cheap center speaker. Check your receivers documentation and set center mode to match whichever center speaker you go with.
2007-03-08 12:23:42 · answer #2 · answered by gabriel_lan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ignore the wattage rating on the center channel speaker, in fact ignore ALL wattage rating on all speakers.
Those numbers are basically a marketing gimmick. ("Wow! These speakers are rated to 300 watts!") It doesn't mean squat in real-life usage.
Most distortion is caused by an UNDER-POWERED AMP trying to push too hard! Speakers blow because the AMP is "clipping" and is sending a distorted signal to the speaker cone and causes it to move excessively, and ruin the voice coil.
It really is hard to over power all but the smallest, cheapest, speakers with a massive amount of wattage from an amp.
The more power an amp has, the less hard it has to work, resulting in a "cleaner" signal and a better sound reguardless of a speaker's "rating".
2007-03-08 22:27:51 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
The center channel output of your receiver is capable of 70W MAXIMUM. That does not mean that you will ever get 70W out of it under normal usage. It will typically run about 1-2 watts, even at loud levels. The center channel does not carry any bass, and it is the bass tones that require the most power. Your center speaker is more than adequate; the power rating means nothing except as a maximum limit to avoid speaker damage. Forget the power rating of the speaker; you should be more concerned about its sound quality (frequency range, distortion).
2007-03-08 10:33:55 · answer #4 · answered by gp4rts 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
the 150 is a max, what you should be trying to do is listen to it and make sure the the db out put is the same as the rest of the speaker so it is not loader of softer then the other speaker
the 70 from you rec. is pleanty
2007-03-08 06:47:48 · answer #5 · answered by bkbarile 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
do no longer exceed the suggested optimal potential in step with channel. on a similar time as doing so will likely artwork for some volume of time finally you will injury your amplifier. be careful along with your Ohms to boot (Ohms). in case you spot something which states 100w @ 4 Ohms, you could in many situations plug a 50w 2 Ohm speaker into it., whether in case you plug a 100w 2 Ohm speaker - you could carry out a little injury. maximum suitable to adhere to a similar Ohms and much less potential than suggested. The Ohm image bogs like this ?
2016-11-23 15:24:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
that speaker will work fine - basically you will never use that much power form your amplifier to listen through that center speaker -
2007-03-08 05:30:13 · answer #7 · answered by mrdg90 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
" ..... what you should be trying to do is listen to it and make sure the the db (sic) out put is the same as the rest of the speaker ..... "
What a load of waffle.
2007-03-08 13:29:45 · answer #8 · answered by dmb06851 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋