Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Buying an older receiver

Denon AVR 685 in Scarberia, $180

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=562937

Scarberia? Is shipping from a distant solar system included in that price?

Luckely I live in that distant solar system (otherwise known as Southern Ontario) so its just a short trip.

I'm still hung up on this idea that I need a minimum of 100wpc. Playing with one of the power calculators, I'm beginning to wonder, particularly for a temporary solution...

You most likely do need 100wpc. I listen to a half watt nominal and a 90W/ch amp is just right for 98% of the music I listen to. With some well-recorded classical pieces it's a different story. I could use a few hundred watts.

Well, if Mr. "1/2 watt" says I need 100wpc...

Back to the search.

Yep. I guess you need a gigawatt then, eh ?

or one that goes to Eleven.

Hi Fredk,

I usually tell consumers to ignore "Dynamic Power Output" ratings in watts, as it's a misleading spec intended to convince buyers that a stereo or AV receiver has enormous power reserves available for driving low impedances. "Dynamic Headroom," expressed in dB, is a useful spec but few manufacturers ever quote it.

Large amounts of real dynamic headroom, sometimes as much as 6 dB, which some NAD amplifiers often possessed, was based around a "loose" power supply that would switch in extra output devices or voltage rails for large momentary increases in power output. The continuous power output rating would typically be much less, often as little as 30 watts or 50 watts per channel.

A used stereo receiver or stereo integrated amplifier would likely be fine for driving the M80s, as older units often had enough heat sinking and output device cooling to handle 4-ohm loads without the problems associated with many current AV receivers driving lower impedances.

Regards,

Thanks for the reply Allen. The Crown website mentioned that peak power and continuous power are within one watt of each other so what you say makes a lot of sense.