Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Yamaha wattage?

As I was taking my stereo system apart to make room for the new carpet, I noticed some writing on the back of my Yamaha htr-5280 receiver. It says Yamaha htr-5280, then just below that it says 260 watts. Does this mean what I think it means? Is my 5 channel receiver that was advertised at 100 watts per channel actually less than 55 watts per channel?

Hi,

I think that it is more likely that it is the power consumption (in Watts) that is mentionned on the rear of the unit and not the power output of the amplifier.

Cheers

Yeah, I understand that the UL "rated" power consumption is calculated under the assumption of certain usage pattern. It does not reflect the peak power consumption of the receiver when putting out the full-load max power.

That said, I agree that 260W is on the lower side among receivers with similar rated power...

My HK AVR 525 lists power consumption like this:

120W @ idle,
1,040W @ rated output (7 channels driven)

Which, lemme tell you, is freakin' huge!!

Brucie, as some of the previous replies indicated, the wattage specified on the back panel is nothing to be concerned about(although on some other boards I've read almost hysterical discussions on the point). Two rating groups(EIA/CEA and FTC)require a preconditioning period of 1/2-1 hour at 1/8th(considered to be roughly the average level below maximum on CDs)of full rated power before testing begins. The amp is then required to supply full rated power for 5 minutes(all channels simultaneously, FTC;one channel at a time full power with others at 1/8th power, EIA/CEA). Most manufacturers measure the power consumption at the 1/8th point and put this on the back as an indication of the average(not maximum)the amp uses when in operation. Since the overall efficiency of typical amps is no more than 50% at maximum power and drops at lower levels(possibly 20-25% at 1/8th), your 260 watt figure computes. 5X100= 500 watts, but at 1/8th power is about 63 watts output, which at about 25% efficiency would require about 252 watts of power consumption averaged over the whole CD.

So, the bottom line is that while the power consumption number on the back might help you to estimate the electric bill, it doesn't describe the maximum capabilities of the amp.

Johnny,

Thanks for the info. I agree entirely with whatever you said. What, huh!

Bruce, just as long as you agree with me, it doesn't matter if you didn't understand a word of it... Just kidding, but I was trying to give a little of the background on power output and consumption ratings. Again, the main point is that the 260 watt number on the back of your Yamaha represents its average power consumption(not the maximum)and not the power output, which is what you were concerned about.

Hey John,

I wasn't worried. I'm just getting bored with my Yamaha and am searching for any reason to upgrade, although I know I should be happy with it. Compared to what I've had in the past it is a pretty nifty machine. My son has a Yamaha receiver and a PSB set up which he paid a good sum of money for, but he told me yesterday that I have a pretty nice cheap set up since I added the m22's as mains. I think he wishes he had those jewels.

Little whiner... ;-)