Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater A/V Receivers for driving M80s?

In my new theater, despite the small area, I am considering M80s as my main front speakers (The wife LOVES big sound, so who am I to argue?!) I know that they are 4 ohm. Does anyone have any suggestions on A/V receivers that would drive the M80s appropriately? Would any 100+ watt A/V receiver from the Onkyo, Denon, Yamaha, etc. be OK with the M80s? I have a Onkyo's TX-8511 stereo receiver and TX-SR504 A/V receiver, and am very happy with them. Their TX-SR703 and TX-SR803 list as 4 ohm capable; these are 100 and 105 watts, respectively.

I don't think I want to go the 'separates' route just yet, as this is my first theater. I'm hoping to buy a quality A/V receiver that can drive the 4 ohm M80s appropriately. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks!

This question come up a lot. For the most part, Axiom has said that most HK's, Denons, and NAD's will have no problems. There was a time where some Yammy's and Pioneers had issues, but that may not be the case anymore. Hope other members will chime in.

my rxv-4600 handles my setup just fine.

But, how big is your room? If it's really large you might want a dedicated power amp. I've freed up one of my Carver power amps and started using it on the m80's, but to be honest I really didn't need to. Ironically, even with the 80's off of the yammie, it still gets just as warm...anyways, I'm going on and on....

I wouldn't go any smaller then the rxv-4600 though.

My room dimensions will be 10.5' W x 7' H x approx 24' long. I've read up on Denon a bit, but I'll look into HK. If I remember from my limited reading on HK, it always seems that their watts output always seemed lower than Denons, Onkyos, etc. Does HK measure wattage output differently?

FYI, if going with the M80s in this size of a room is COMPLETE overkill, you can tell me.

Hi Danno,

How big is your room (length,width, height) and do you like to listen at insanely loud levels, like a few people I know? If so, then definitely consider using a separate power amp for the M80s, with a rating of 150 to 300 watts per channel into 4 ohms. You can use the AV receiver for all the other channels.

Beware of Onkyo and some other manufacturers' claims as to being "4-ohm capable". If it's based on a bogus "dynamic power into 4 ohms" rating, that means it may drive a 4-ohm load for a fraction of a second, then overheat and shut down.

If deafening playback isn't a requirement, then at Axiom we know from customer experience (as well as having a number of different brands of AV units in our listening rooms) that any Denon or H/K AV receiver , even their entry-level models, will drive the 4-ohm M80s with no problems. So will AV receivers from Sherwood Newcastle and NAD. The Pioneer 1015 with MOSFET output devices will drive the M80s just fine. The aforementioned are the only brands I unhesitatingly recommend if you are getting M80s.

Thanks, Alan! My room dimensions will be 10.5'W x 7'H x 24'L. I don't like insane levels of volume, but will want to shake the room from time to time. Actually, my wife likes to listen lots louder than I do. Given that, are the M80s complete overkill? Also, would an EP500 or 600 be overkill for that room?

A question on the H/K receivers. It seems that their wattage output levels seem much, much lower at any given price point than other brands. Would a 65w or 75W H/K drive the M80's?

Danno,

Duh, I missed seeing your room dimensions earlier in the thread. No, the M80s are not overkill in a room like that, nor is the EP500. You don't need an EP600, which is wonderful for very large rooms.

H/K's measurements are very conservative and honest; they usually deliver considerably more than their rated output in bench tests. Figure on an H/K that is rated at 75 watts per channel being equivalent to a Denon that's rated at 110 per channel.

Since you don't require insanely loud playback levels, look at the Denon 2807, 3806, or 4306. The 4306 was recently highly reviewed at audioholics.com . The H/K 635 is also worth looking at.

>>> Figure on an H/K that is rated at 75 watts per channel being equivalent to a Denon that's rated at 110 per channel.

Wow, I sure didn't know the difference was quite this much.

Danno, for what it's worth, I have been using an Onkyo TX-DS797 (forerunner to the Onkyo 703 - rated at 100 watts/channel, but actually less) to drive 8 ohm mains, a 4 ohm center, and 6 ohm surrounds for several years without any problems whatsoever. This doesn't necessarily contradict what Alan had to say since my room is smaller than yours; my mains, which do most of the work when listening to music, are only 8 ohms; and I don't listen at incredibly LOUD volumes. Loud enough for me, however.

Much as I've been happy with the Onkyo, if I were considering the M80s, I'd probably look for an HK or Denon. If I were running M60s which would certainly work in your room, I'd definitely buy Onkyo again.

I have a set of inexpensive (relatively) separates, and am not completely satisfied with the preamp. I'm considering getting a refurbed Onkyo 703 to use as a preamp with my current amplifier.

If you like Onkyo enough that you really want one, you might consider using a separate 2 channel amplifier, or a pair of monoblock amplifiers to power the M80s. That's a more expensive path, but would allow you to enjoy the considerable features the Onkyo offers. Or, you could go with the M60s which would be a less expensive option.

Danno, any modern solid-state receiver can drive the M80s; the question is how loudly. Don't be overly impressed with 100 watt power ratings which, although a nice round number, represent just a 1.25dB increase in maximum output level capability over your 504, which is rated at "only" 75 watts. For example, if a brief peak could be played at 110dB using 75 watts, it could be played at 111.25dB using 100 watts, a barely noticeable difference.

Get the M80s if you like and see if your present receiver meets your needs; don't spend money based on a possibly groundless assumption. Try before you buy.

I have the Denon 4306 and they drive the 80's great.

Thanks so much everyone for the wealth of info! Looks like I have quite a few options. I've been reading up on the H/K receivers. I also like the idea of trying an Onkyo, then adding additional amplification for the front channels if I feel the need.

You've all been very helpful. I'm learning a ton!