[Jint Fan]

I had my mind made up that I was going to buy the Onkyo TX-SR606 to power my new Fluance AVHTB+ system, until I decided to peak at the next model up. After looking at the SR706 and how much it cost I just had to see how the 806 stacked up.


For the money it really seems like the 806 is the way to go, not only for this system but also for future systems I might upgrade to. The only problem is the AVHTB+ system says the front speakers are rated up to 120w, while the surrounds and center are only rated up to 100w. The SR806 is a 130w per channel receiver. Now I've done some research on the net and most places say to ignore the power handling rating for a speaker because it's misleading. However I've seen a couple articles that go against this.


I asked Fluance but they gave me a really crappy, non-committal response: "If you are going to be using an Onkyo receiver, it should not damage the speakers". My question is will I be ok with the 806 powering the AVHTB+, or should I keep the extra money and go with the SR606 either because the extra features aren't worth it or because the SR806 will wear out the AVHTB+ speakers?


Any help is MUCH APPRECIATED!!

 

[DogEarz]

Fluance was right, any Onkyo receiver will work with their speakers. The biggest problem is not with overpowering speakers, it is underpowering them. If your receiver is more powerful than your speakers, most likely, you will never play the speakers loud enough to hurt them. You will hurt your ears before you hurt your speakers. However, if your receiver is less powerful than your speakers, your receiver can run out of power or exceed its limits. When your receiver tries to exceed its limits it will do what is called clipping or distort. It's the clipping/distortion that will damage your speakers.


Now, having said that, the 606 is the better receiver for those speakers. Actually, a great majority of the "regulars" here would concede that your approach was a little backwards. IMHO, you would have been more satisfied if you had flipped your budget. Sound quality-wise, it's more advantagous to spend more on speakers than on the receiver. A receiver in the price range of the Fluance speakers and speakers in the price range of the 806 would have been a much better approach.


But since you already have the Fluance, which I have also owned in the past, I would highly recommend that you get the 606 and use the money you save to buy the larger center speaker.

 

[Jint Fan]



Quote:
Originally Posted by DogEarz /forum/post/15454140


Fluance was right, any Onkyo receiver will work with their speakers. The biggest problem is not with overpowering speakers, it is underpowering them. If your receiver is more powerful than your speakers, most likely, you will never play the speakers loud enough to hurt them. You will hurt your ears before you hurt your speakers. However, if your receiver is less powerful than your speakers, your receiver can run out of power or exceed its limits. When your receiver tries to exceed its limits it will do what is called clipping or distort. It's the clipping/distortion that will damage your speakers.


Now, having said that, the 606 is the better receiver for those speakers. Actually, a great majority of the "regulars" here would concede that your approach was a little backwards. IMHO, you would have been more satisfied if you had flipped your budget. Sound quality-wise, it's more advantagous to spend more on speakers than on the receiver. A receiver in the price range of the Fluance speakers and speakers in the price range of the 806 would have been a much better approach.


But since you already have the Fluance, which I have also owned in the past, I would highly recommend that you get the 606 and use the money you save to buy the larger center speaker.

Great explanation, ties all the articles I read together. Thanks!!!


I know exactly what you're saying re: the budget. I set out to find a set of speakers first but NOTHING came close to the value of Fluance. I looked at the Mirage Nanosats and other satellite systems, but once you factored in the cost, plus the need for stands since the fronts aren't floorstanding, you're at literally quadruple the cost with still the need to by a center speaker. Then I looked at systems with front floor standing units and I still came up at 3-4 times the cost of the AVHTB+ system.


So after I made my decision I saw all the rave reviews about the 606 (minus the analog video conversion problem, but I have no analog sources) and made up my mind. Until of course one night I wondered what the next model up would cost and here I am.


My thinking is I can buy new speakers down the road, given the price I spent on these, but why spend almost $400 on a receiver only to spend another $600-700 in a few years when I want to upgrade. Why not just buy the better receiver now? Granted it won't be the same as if I bought an $800 set of speakers but I'll still be able to tell a difference, no?

 

[Jint Fan]

Additionally, about your comment on the center speaker - that's actually something that crossed my mind. Only thing is I read if you don't buy it from the same manufacturer you might have sync problems. Know anything about that? Fluance does have another center speaker but the specs really don't make it look that much better - same response, sensitivity is +2 (but then again what do I know).

 

[bmrowe]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Jint Fan /forum/post/15454560


Additionally, about your comment on the center speaker - that's actually something that crossed my mind. Only thing is I read if you don't buy it from the same manufacturer you might have sync problems. Know anything about that? Fluance does have another center speaker but the specs really don't make it look that much better - same response, sensitivity is +2 (but then again what do I know).

The center shipped in the fluance package is, by far, the weakest link in that package. If you are going to go Fluance, I would highly recommend picking up the better center -- it is a pretty significant upgrade. If you already bought the package, you could move the package center to the rear and run a 6.1 setup.