[HD Purist]

So I recently purchased a Denon AVR-988, upgrading from a Sony STR-DG500, to power a couple RB-51s that I've had for a couple years. I'm looking to flesh out the rest of my home theater and was curious if the RB-51 package, that also includes an RC-52 and a couple RS-42s, would be a good pairing for this receiver or if I should cut my losses and move into a higher-end Klipsch setup? Specifically, I'm interested to know whether the supposed 110w will adequately power the RC-52 which has an RMS wattage of 125.


On a related note, I recently visited a local electronics store and was told that my receiver will output 110w/channel only when a single channel is driven and that in reality I would only get 75w/channel with all channels driven. This seems to fly in the face of what is written in this review http://hdgear.highdefdigest.com/1893/denonavr988.html as well as on the Denon website. Is this salesperson in need of a clue or am I missing something?

 

[m_vanmeter]

the specifications in the Manual actually show 7 individual channels running at 110 watts per channel with 0.05% THD per channel. The confusion comes in because the Fed's only require the RMS wattage to be measured for stereo output, i.e. two channels. Some of the "budget" receivers make full use of this and do not report the actual output per channel when running 5 or 7 channels out. The "better" receivers give the actual output per channel along with the THD spec's. It usually is not a factor of the ability of the multiple channel amplifiers to reach their rated wattage.....it a matter of the single power transformer to support all 5 or 7 channels with enough electrical power to actually get the channel output to the rated maximum.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Also remember that you are driving extremely effecient speakers and will need relatively little power to drive them beyond reference levels.


As for your upgrade path, either option (filling out the RB-51 package or upgrading) has its merits. How big is your room? What are your listening habits? What is your budget?


A good upgrade path might be something like RF-62 or RF-82 mains along with a RC-62 or RC-64 center, using your existing RB-51s as surrounds.

 

[HD Purist]

I was thinking the same thing about using the RB-51s as surrounds but I wasn't sure how much performance I would be losing relative to the design of the RS-42s for the purpose of surround imaging. As for the space, it's a bedroom and I think it's about 12 feet wide by 17-18 feet long. I'll take more exact measurements when I get home from work. The room is also a unique shape, from either side of the width perspective the ceiling starts vaulting at about 5 feet and goes up to 9 feet. The system is set at one of the lengthwise perspective. I listen to all kinds of music and watch movies frequently, maybe this qualifies as a power user?

Also I've got the RPW-10 sitting right behind one of the RB-51s and I was thinking about moving it to the other side of the room since I generally hear a better base response at the opposite end of the room from the system in it's current configuration.

 

[cbohl51]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen Hopkins /forum/post/15465113


Also remember that you are driving extremely effecient speakers and will need relatively little power to drive them beyond reference levels.


As for your upgrade path, either option (filling out the RB-51 package or upgrading) has its merits. How big is your room? What are your listening habits? What is your budget?


A good upgrade path might be something like RF-62 or RF-82 mains along with a RC-62 or RC-64 center, using your existing RB-51s as surrounds.

I completely agree. I've got the RF-82's, RC-62 w/ the RB-51's as surrounds, and everything sounds great. My room is long and narrow, with a ceiling that peaks in the center. I would recommend this path as it will work if you decide to move into a larger room later on.