How much does the wattage actually matter in a receiver. I read that you really never go near the maxium output wattage when your playin your system. I cant decide if I want a cheaper 200 watt 4 channel versus a 6.1 600 watt reviever. Anyone have any ideas on how to help? Also, how are KLH or Sony receivers. Any good suggestions for a decent reviever?

Most people around here prefer Denon, Pioneer and Yamaha. There are also a number of Rotel and NAD owners here. Not much talk about KLH and Sony.

i dont want to sound snobby or harsh but KLH electronics are complete trash. you would be better off with a clock radio. their speakers arent much better.

Stay AWAy from KLH electronics, and low end sony. you get what you pay for. and with stuff like that you can expect it to clip at probbly 30 watts instead of the 200 its rated at.

stay away.

The difference between 100 watts per channel and 200 watts per channel is 3 dB, or "somewhat noticeable" difference in loudness. It's not really significant unless you're driving inefficent speakers. You can approach the maximum wattage during very dynamic movie passages, depending on how the receiver power ratings are published.

For example, a Rotel receiver will be advertised with a rating of 100 watts x 5, all channels driven, 20 Hz-20 kHz. A Panasonic receiver will be rated as simply "100 watts x 5", which usually only means 100 watts is available to any given channel at any given time...the all-channels driven output will be something like 35 watts, which can cause clipping if you set the volume too loud. I had an el cheapo Technics receiver once upon a time which constantly went into protection mode, despite being advertised as "90 watts x 5".

I'm not sure about KLH, but Sony is notorious for overstating power on their receivers. Spending the extra bucks on a receiver with a more stable power supply (Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha) is well worth the investment.

harman kardon is also pretty good
what is your budget?

Oops..forgot HK. The HK525 is an incredibly popular unit as well.

Why does everyone always forget the H/K? C'mon, guys... :-)

Denon, Onkyo, and especially Yamaha all 'over state' their rated power. H/K is honest about it. I love my 525.

Dont forget NAD.

They have conservative ratings.