In reply to:
ok i have a yamaha reciever...
and two sets of speakers at 200 watts per speaker. i need to know what the relation is between the reciever and the speakers are. what do they mean? how do i make it all sound good? get a bigger better amp/reciever?
Is it a newer or older receiver? Is it stereo or multi-channel? What kind of speakers?
What is the impedance of the speakers? What is the efficiency of the speakers? What are the impedance ratings of the output of the Yamaha receiver?
What are you trying to achieve? Good quality sound? Loud listening levels? Both?
If you have very efficient speakers (ex. 95dB / 1W @ 1m) you don't need a lot of power from an amplifier to get loud sound. In the past, usually the best speakers typically had very poor efficiency ratings (86-88 db / W @1 m). Due to improvements in speaker technology there are a lot of newer "audiophile" speakers that are quite efficient (Axiom audio, for example). Any way, the less efficient a speaker is, the more power you need to drive it to obtain the same "loudness" level.
Receivers typically have inadequate power supplies to drive peak transients. For example, you may perceive this as "muddy" bass or somewhat distorted at high listening levels.
Some of the new receivers have nice processing sections and adding dedicated amplification to each channel can make an improvement in sound quality and how loud it can play.
Do you have a budget for which you are considering purchasing new equipment?
