I have a 500 Watt receiver, can I hook up 1000 Watt 5.1 surround sound sys to it and still have it sound good?

Question

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8225878&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03031&id=1166840609689

This is the link to the receiver I have. I don't currently have speakers but was looking to buy some and was trying to decide what wattage I should be looking for.

Answer 1

I don't understand the ratings you have given. What are you referencing with each rating?

You need to be more clear in you question to get a CORRECT answer.

Answer 2

In most cases, you can hook up any average speaker to any average amplifier and you won't damage anything unless you turn the volume way up until the sound distorts and/or the amp overheats.

Amplifier power ratings and speaker power ratings don't have to exactly match in order to get good sound. It is very common for either the amplifier or the speakers to have a higher power rating.

Speakers are rarely damaged by receiving too much clean power. Most frequently, speakers are damaged when the amplifier driving them is pushed beyond its limits and clips/distorts the signal. The speaker's voice coil heats up when the signal is clipped, eventually damaging the speaker.

Amplifiers are usually pretty robust and many have built-in thermal protection circuitry to prevent severe damage. An amplifier's main enemy is excessive heat. Heat builds up when there's poor ventilation, long-term use at high volume, and when the speaker load has a low impedance. When you hook up more than one speaker in parallel to a single channel on an amp, you're reducing the impedance of the load, increasing the heat in the amp.

As long as you hook up one speaker per output on your receiver, your system should work properly.

Answer 3

Hi. What power rating is your Receiver based on : 500 watts RMS or 500 watts something else? Also what is each speaker capable of receiving from the amp,200 watts RMS ,or 200 watts something else ? If you could let me know so i can give you the correct advice.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
Thanks for the extra information.

So the Receiver is rated at 100 watts RMS per channel and is a 5.1 surround sound receiver.The impedance rating of the receiver should match the speaker impedance (usually 8 ohms) So each 8 ohm speaker should be able to receive up to 100 watts rms from the amp.If you get speakers that can take more than 100 watts rms you have to be careful that the amplifier does not run out of power if the volume is up too high. But i doubt you will have it up so loud for this to happen.

The speakers sensitivity (efficiency ) also determines how loud a speaker will sound for a given input from the receiver.Speakers that are over 90 DB SLwill sound louder than speakers that have 85 DB SL.These speakers will sound not as loud as the first one.(all loudspeakers waste some of their input in the form of heat when they convert electrical energy into acoustical energy. For example speakers that use horn loaded drivers are more efficient than speakers that use cones.Therefore a Klipsch speaker will sound louder than say a speaker that does not use horns.

Now the next step is to find out what speakers you would like to have. They all sound different because they add their on coloration to the sound they are reproducing.Also the size of the speakers are important to integrate with your room. Do you want floorstanding speakers for the front and smaller ones at the rear?Or would bookshelf size be better for the front ? The speakers that have the least coloration are mainly British made. They are a more accurate speaker(neutral ) and sound good with all types of music.They are also usually more expensive than other brands but the extra cost is justified.
Have you listened to any lately because it is the only way to be sure you like them. A speaker can have the best specifications but you may not like the way it sounds.So you cant go by specifications alone you must listen first.

From the above comments on speakers can you let me know what type of speakers do you think will be suitable for your room. Also your budget .Thanks.

Here are a few sellections to look at and maybe get some idea what you like :


KEF iQ3 main
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/542450927?v_c=Shopping

KEF I Q6C center
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/548500309

KEF I Q8DS rear
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HB3OHI/ref=nosim?s=merchant&m=A3J6GAX3CBHDTI&v=glance&tag=nextag-ce-tier6-20&creative=380341&linkCode=asn&creativeASIN=B000HB3OHI

KLIPSCH REFERENCE BOOKSHELF
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;jsessionid=K35ZPL3EVP3UHKC4D3IVAFY?skuId=7973473&type=product&id=1157067061030

KLIPSCH CENTER
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7973525&st=KLIPSCH+CENTER+SPEAKER&type=product&id=1157067061166

KLIPSCH S-2 SYNERGY REAR.
http://www.bestbuybusiness.com/bbfb/en/US/adirect/bestbuy?cmd=catProductDetail&showAddButton=true&productID=BB10680115&websrc=FRBB10680115

AXIOM EPIC GRAND MASTER.
http://www.axiomaudio.com/epicgrandmaster_175specs.html

ATHENA TECHNOLOGIES POINT 5.
http://www.audio-ideas.com/reviews/ht_loudspeakers/athena-point-5.html

ENERGY TAKE 5.2.
http://www.avrev.com/equip/energy/index.html

DEFINITIVE TECHONOLGY PRO-CINEMA 80.
http://www.avrev.com/equip/procinema80/

Answer 4

ABSOLUTELY! Assuming the total wattage is 500, then that gives you 100 watts per channel. The subwoofer will probably have it's own amp. 100 watts is a lot of power and will work well with your home theater setup.

Have fun!

Answer 5

yeah you can plug in as many speakers as there are outputs for them. however your speakers will only play as loud as you reciever can send. which si in your case, 500 watts

Answer 6

yes, of course, why wouldn't you? it's going to be ok as long as you don't crank it up....