questions about receiver and 5.1 speakers

Originally Posted by Louquid 

1. Receivers typically list their power as something like this: 90 watts per channel at 6 ohms, 120 watts per channel at 8 ohms.
Speakers typically list their power ratings something like this: 15 to 100 watts recommended power. As long as your receiver's output falls
within the range of the speakers recommended power, you'll be fine.
someone told me its better to have the receiver's power output more than what the speaker can handle because you'll get cleaner power going into the speaker and that distortion is what damages speakers, not volume. not sure if that's true or not. I believe also read that in a pamphlet that came with my old Paradigm speakers. I also heard/read that if you have speakers that can handle more power than the receiver puts out, the speakers will draw more power from the receiver which can damage the receiver. again, not sure if that's true.

2. Cost ratio depends on your goals. I prefer mid-level receivers as they tend to have the best bang/buck for me. How much you want to
spend on speakers shouldn't be influenced by what receiver you have, if you have a mid-level receiver. It's best to determine your budget
before you start asking for speaker and receiver suggestions though.
3. Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer, Marantz..All of these receivers are pretty well regarded. Each have different features but all are
basically equivalent in performance. As long as you get a receiver with room calibration capabilities, you'll do well. Most would probably
just tell you to avoid Sony
LOL. guess what receiver I have now. what are some good brands of speakers?


4. I doubt this would be a problem for you, but make sure that the impedances match between the receiver and speakers. For example, using
4 ohm speakers with a receiver rated for 6 or 8 ohm use, could cause problems. I doubt this would be a problem, but it's really the only
issue to look for.
Yes I heard this once. i'm not sure if my ohms match right now. what happens if they don't?

5. Many receivers have HDMI passthrough to allow your devices to play on your TV without having the receiver on.
so if the receiver is on, i'd hear the audio through the receiver/speakers and if the receiver is off i hear the audio through the tv speakers? good