You guys are comparing a few watts to a few watts.

A decade ago, someone posted Stereo Review power output findings on the web. What it showed was that manufacturer's ratings mean nothing. I seem to recall where a Denon receiver rated at 90X5 or 100X5 only actually met its rating with one channel driven. If all channels were driven, it struggled to produce more than 20 or so wpc.

All receivers and amps are not created equal. Discrete channels reduce crosstalk. This is plainly audible. Better and bigger power supplies mean the difference between producing 20% more than the rated power with all channels driven and producing 20% of the rated power when all channels are driven.

Many receivers are rated as X amount of power per channel from 50-20kHz. this won't get it done in the real world either. This takes away over an octave of the lowest bass. Of course, who cares when everyone has powered subs.

Don't let Consumer Reports fool you. Power is not all the same. How about speaker impedances? Try driving nominal 4 ohm speakers that dip into the 2 ohm range with a $150 Technics receiver. First, the receiver gets warm. Then it gets hot. If it has a thermal overload protection circuit it shuts down. If not, it lets all of its smoke escape. We all know that electronics run on smoke, and once it escapes it doesn't work anymore.

Good amplification can drive complex loads with low impedances and low efficiencies. Poor amplification can not.

To notice a difference in volume, you need to double the power. To notice what we perceive as double the volume, we need 10 times the power. An amp with a small power supply that is rated at 100X5, yet really only puts out 20X5 if all channels are driven, can not be expected to perform as loudly or as cleanly as an amp that is rated at 100X5 and has a power supply that allows it to actually produce 120X5 with all channels driven. Not only that, but the less capable amp will invariably heat up to a point where the circuitry will begin to deteriorate, shortening its life. Heat is a major killer of electronics.

Just my opinion.

Bill

Last edited by willscary; 02/28/09 10:14 PM.
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