Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater New Denon Receivers

at zero, you might be very near the clipping point.

damage is cumulative for speakers if you overdrive the amps.
the best thing to do is to have more power than you need, then you will never clip the amp output.
the M80's can take a lot, if the amp does not go into clipping.

how can i tell if there is any damage at this point?

distortion in the sound at medium loudness levels or even low levels.

Steve, it would depend on what features you're looking to update in a new receiver. The 2311 is a fine unit if it has what you're actually looking for.

It should be pointed out that while "0" may be a good reference point not to be generally exceeded, it does depend, as Bruno mentioned, on the voltage input level from the source material. For example, a very low level recording might use only a tenth of the power at "0" that some pop item mastered at(or even slightly above)the digital max uses. The key point is the actual sound level which we should be careful not to exceed, both for the sake of the equipment and more importantly, our hearing. Volume above about 100dB, even on brief peaks, should rarely be used in home settings. Fortunately, very few listeners employ the "reference" level on movies(max of 105dB)at home for their listening.

How many db is "0" usually at for most receivers? And what is considered reference?

If the speakers are calibrated properly, 0dB should be 105dB on DVDs and BDs (115dBs for the sub). For CDs, it depends on how loud it was mixed.

I think it would depend on the sensitivity of the speakers.

....and the input trim levels .... and the output levels of various components....

Seek, to clarify the point Bruno made, 105dB is just the maximum level which a movie will have when a correctly calibrated receiver is set at "0"(or whatever other number was used during calibration). The actual sound level at 0 would almost always be much lower than the theoretical maximum. For example, if an ordinary conversation was taking place, the level might be 60-65dB. So, depending on what's happening in the movie at a particular moment the actual sound level at 0 might be anywhere from maybe a very quiet 50dB up to the 105dB maximum.

Music recordings don't have any specific reference level such as the one described above for movies. The level can vary widely between different recordings when the volume control is set the same. Typically, pop recordings are mastered as loudly(and almost uniformly at that level during the song)as possible, while classical and jazz recordings would usually be at a lower level and would vary more widely at different points in the performance.

Thanks, Johnk!