Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
Page 4 of 13 1 2 3 4 5 6 12 13
Re: Amplifiers
#94531 05/18/05 01:29 AM
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 6,833
W
Wid Offline
axiomite
Offline
axiomite
W
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 6,833

Mdrew,

Your Rotel amp is not 200 watts when driving a 4 ohm load.Rotel rates it at 300 watts @ 4 ohm.More that likely this is a conservative rating.


Rick


"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud

Re: Amplifiers
#94532 05/18/05 01:58 AM
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,379
Likes: 7
axiomite
Offline
axiomite
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,379
Likes: 7
My experience from VERY informal testing over the years is that a powerful, high quality amp will give a small but noticeable improvement in sound quality. I'm talking about going from a 40-50W inexpensive but decent amp to a >200W great hulking amp.

Note that this is NOT from careful A/B testing and certainly not from blind testing, just my observations from playing around. I *think* the difference was too great to be just "expectation of better sound" but I would have to do more testing than I have time (or the amp) for to be sure.

If I had the money and was building a stereo system I would definitely invest in a good power amp... but only if I was already happy with speakers, room treatments and maybe player.


M60ti, VP180, QS8, M2ti, EP500, PC-Plus 20-39
M5HP, M40ti, Sierra-1
LFR1100 active, ADA1500-4 and -8
Re: Amplifiers
#94533 05/18/05 02:46 AM
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,444
Likes: 16
M
connoisseur
Offline
connoisseur
M
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,444
Likes: 16
true, but the comparison still holds as the 100 wpc hk rating i gave earlier was at 8 ohms too.

at any rate, the 80's sure seam to like the rotel. they're getting along very well. i like the combo more and more every time i turn them on. i'm finding new sounds and more enjoyment out of every cd i pop in. i only have 400 or so more to go...

Re: Amplifiers
#94534 05/18/05 03:07 AM
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,155
connoisseur
Offline
connoisseur
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,155
The links were excellent in their description of what is actually going on. As I thought, compression/ clipping/ distortion is not the "real" problem. The short answer is that the manufacturers are playing games, once again, with the power specifications. The speakers (tweeters) simply won't handle the overall specified power over their specified frequency range. For example, a speaker rated at 100 watts, will not take 100 watts, single frequency, at 15,000 Hz. However, it might take 100 watts at 100 Hz.

Many of today's speakers are not single speakers, but, rather, an ensemble of several speakers, of different types, put in a common enclosure. In general, the bigger speakers need more drive power and can handle (tolerate) more total power than the smaller speakers. The bigger speakers are used for the lower frequency range and the smaller ones for the higher frequency range. That's how you get a smooth and uniform audio response from about 60 Hz to about 20,000 Hz out of one speaker ensemble.

What we are finding is that the power rating of the speaker is not that of a single tone or frequecy rating, measured anywhere across the entire frequency spectrum of the speaker. Rather, it is something like a composite, integrated power spectrum over the frequency range of the speaker. That power spectrum has a maximum power rating for every frequency. The articles state that the power rating is much higher for the lower frequencies than the higher frequencies. If you exceed the power rating evelope at any given frequency, you risk damaging (destroying) your speaker.

So, for Bug's question, what to do? I'm afraid, my friend, that there isn't an easy answer. You could find out what the maximum power rating of the tweeters in your speakers are, and then never run your power amplifier past this point. This would insure that tweeter power rating will not be exceeded by compression, clipping, or anything else. I'm just not sure that this is a very practical or realistic solution.

There are also numerous fixes that could be done to your power amplifier, but those tend to be quite technical. And, I'm not sure how consistent power amplifier design is across the various brands.

So much for a good solution!#$%?%$#!

The Rat.


The Rat. M80s, VP-150, QS8s, SVS PC 20-39+, OPPO, Onkyo 703s, Harmony 880 Sony 60" SXRD HDTV
Re: Amplifiers
#94535 05/18/05 05:22 AM
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,339
B
connoisseur
OP Offline
connoisseur
B
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,339
Love this discussion.
The answer is an in home test. My own ears will have to tell me I think because it's all about sound quality .
Now how much can I put on the credit card?

Re: Amplifiers
#94536 05/18/05 03:29 PM
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 205
local
Offline
local
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 205
I wanted an excuse to buy a new amp, but after reading so many people say that there isnt going to be a huge increase in volume or quality in going from a good amp to a hugely more powerful amp I decided to stick with my old HK 5 Channel 100W@ 8 Ohm amp. Plays louder than you can listen to for very long, and is clear and detailed. What more do I want? It runs kind of hot, but I never had any problems with it so who cares? Another forum here awhile back convinced me I dont need a new amp and I have saved a couple of thousand dollars thanks to it. I can use that money for the new Big Screen. I wonder if the wifey would see it that way?


M80ti's, VP150, QS8's
Re: Amplifiers
#94537 05/18/05 05:31 PM
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 552
aficionado
Offline
aficionado
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 552
Me too, I am trying to find an excuse to spend an extra USD 300 and swap my recently purchased Rotel RB-1070 for RB-1080, 130 wpc vs. 200 wpc. I can still do the swap for no extra cost thanks to my Rotel dealer. I own RC-1070 preamp, RCd-1072 cd player with my Axiom M60s, all for stereo only. To tell you the truth, I have read and heard more in favor of the getting Rb-1080. Let me put it like this: I may not hear a lot of difference, but I am purchasing my peace of mind for $300!! However, I have read many reviews in Club Rotel that Rb-1080 is far more "musical" than 1070, even a Rotel technician over the phone confirmed this.

Another question, I recently saw a Belkin PureAV PF40 console power center, comparable with Monster HTs series. Anybody has any experience with them? They look so cool, and are cheaper than monster or panamax. Again, most likely a power conditioner/surge protector will not improve anything in the sound of my system, but I consider it as a nice insurance policy (for my mind and protection of my equipment).


Axiom M60s, QS4s, VP100 Onkyo TX-SR804 Oppo 970HD Rotel RB-1080/RCD-1072 REL Q150E sub, PS 3
Re: Amplifiers
#94538 05/19/05 12:09 AM
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,379
Likes: 7
axiomite
Offline
axiomite
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,379
Likes: 7
>>Me too, I am trying to find an excuse to spend an extra USD 300 and swap my recently purchased Rotel RB-1070 for RB-1080, 130 wpc vs. 200 wpc.

I would consider that money well spent. You already have nice speakers etc... so there are probably no better places to spend the $$ (with the possible exception of room treatments).


M60ti, VP180, QS8, M2ti, EP500, PC-Plus 20-39
M5HP, M40ti, Sierra-1
LFR1100 active, ADA1500-4 and -8
Re: Amplifiers
#94539 05/19/05 12:11 AM
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 6,833
W
Wid Offline
axiomite
Offline
axiomite
W
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 6,833

In reply to:

I would consider that money well spent. You already have nice speakers etc... so there are probably no better places to spend the $$ (with the possible exception of room treatments




I agree.


Rick


"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud

Re: Amplifiers
#94540 05/19/05 05:40 PM
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,444
Likes: 16
M
connoisseur
Offline
connoisseur
M
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,444
Likes: 16
Me three.

Page 4 of 13 1 2 3 4 5 6 12 13

Moderated by  alan, Amie, Andrew, axiomadmin, Brent, Debbie, Ian, Jc 

Link Copied to Clipboard

Need Help Graphic

Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics24,940
Posts442,457
Members15,616
Most Online2,082
Jan 22nd, 2020
Top Posters
Ken.C 18,044
pmbuko 16,441
SirQuack 13,840
CV 12,077
MarkSJohnson 11,458
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 145 guests, and 4 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newsletter Signup
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4