Underpowering speakers or not, little bit confusing?

 

New member
Username: Slalanc01

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jan-06
I just bought a New Pioneer Receiver VSX-1015. This receiver can deliver 7 x 120 Watts continuous average power output (Measured by Audio Spectrum Analyzer).

This receiver replace my old Pioneer Pro Logic Receiver M-980 (bought in 1995). I have the user manual of this old receiver and it supposed to deliver 4 channel with 150 Watts each (front, left, right and rear). Please note that in the same user manual the continous average power output for this old receiver was measured at 100 Watts per channel by Andio Spectrum Analyser. That's a big difference when comparing to the Pioneer specifications.

My old pionner front speakers are rated at 150 Watts each (left, right and center). These speakers was bought with the old receiver, they are powerfull and they are performing very well (left and right are 4 way speaker floor-standing type with 12'' Bass Reflex, sensibility 90db/W at 1 m distance. Center Speaker 2 way speaker, sensibility 87db/W at 1 m distance).

I want to know if I can use these old Pioneer speaker with this new receiver without damaging them because I have read a lot of concern about underpowering speakers and the specifications of my old pioneer system are confusing.

Thanks

Thanks,
 

Silver Member
Username: Davidpa

Portland, Oregon US

Post Number: 102
Registered: Nov-05
Yes, you can still use it, unless you like to max out volume levels, in that case better amplification should be considered so as not to damage your speakers, or your reciever. More likely the speakers, since distortion is a killer.
 

Gold Member
Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 7209
Registered: May-04


Just to make some small corrections that would otherwise drive me crazy; it's "sensitivity" not "sensibility" and speakers don't got no watts.
 

New member
Username: Mnr3

Post Number: 8
Registered: Jan-06
thanks, jan, for the correction/clarification.
in stephane's defense, sensibilité (French)= sensitivity (English)
and no, speakers don't have watts, but they have limits of maximum watts (power handling not production) as one of their specifications, n'est-ce pas?
 

Gold Member
Username: Nuck

Parkhill, Ontario Canada

Post Number: 1059
Registered: Dec-04
Sheet, an here I'm t' jest bout figgur'n out Inglish, y'all go an' do that!
Vote today, Canada!
 

Silver Member
Username: Paul98

Post Number: 129
Registered: Oct-05
under powering speakers is a little confusing. What people mean by underpowering is bad is that if you take an amp with not that many watts and push it to it's limits. To where the sound is distored and clipping. That is much worse for the speaker than say putting more clean watts than the speaker is rated for.

If you don't have that much power don't push your amp to and past it's limits and you will be fine.
 

Gold Member
Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 7258
Registered: May-04


Yes, many speakers list a minimum and a maximum wattage in the specifications. Unfortunately, neither spec has any relevance to anything. My opinion is the only speaker specifications that are meaningful are height, width, depth and weight. Beyond that, most speaker specifications are meaningless when taken at face value. Most tweeters never see more than ten watts of power. Yet they are the first to blow out from too little wattage. Donc de quel est que tout? A woofer can handle far less power at 30Hz than it can at 300Hz. Quel est le point d'avoir de nombres ?

 

New member
Username: Mnr3

Post Number: 9
Registered: Jan-06
oh jan, I love it when you talk dirty!
seriously, have you guys ever considered putting up a stickies faq to filter out some of the questions that come up often, not of the "which is the best brand" silly variety, but glossary-oriented (ported vs. sealed, bi-amping, resistance and sensibility (sf), or the meaninglessness of watts) that newbies could be instructed to consult before bothering the oracles? stephane's question wasn't dumb, but was probably answered somewhere else, yet a search might yield hundreds of posts without as good an answer as the few posts here, by guys who have surely answered similar ?'s before and who might roll their eyes every time it comes up again. my apologies, btw, for being guilty of reviving a thread that was well on its way to a quiet death. cheers, mnr
 

Silver Member
Username: Gavincumm

New York USA

Post Number: 486
Registered: Feb-05
good idea with the stickey idea.

I would be game for one...it would cut down on research for not just the newbies...but some of us that have been around here for a while as well.
 

Gold Member
Username: Nuck

Parkhill, Ontario Canada

Post Number: 1060
Registered: Dec-04
Like Edster's standard post for the Panny55?
That goes over like a Led...err ..nevermind.

Good idea, M. Shall I call you Rocket?
Maybe post to the administrator?
 

Gold Member
Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 7260
Registered: May-04


Been there, done that. About 18 months ago. People lost interest and things got silly.

https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/56618.html




 

New member
Username: Mnr3

Post Number: 10
Registered: Jan-06
and yet, that was a good thread for the most part that I had not come across. it doesn't look like any of the ecoustics forums have stickies, so I guess the point is moot, but if something more streamlined (like having the ?'s of the FAQ listed at the top as url's to anchors below in the thread) it would be nice. until then, we must rely on the encyclopedic knowledge of Monsieur Vigne, for both audio questions and forum lore. how DOES he do it?
 

Gold Member
Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 7263
Registered: May-04


While not quite satisfying the request for a simple FAQ section, there is the "Articles" section of the forum; https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/products/articles/34579.html

And, if someone browses the forum at all, they will find several categories where persistent questions are answered before the question arises. The problem seems to be no one wants to read to find an answer. They prefer it spoon fed to them. Or, they think their situation is totally unique and requires a specific reply. Sometimes just putting a subject into the "what are you looking for file" would be sufficient and would provide several choices of who or what to believe. How do we get a newbie to do that?

Why exactly are these questions so persistent? Are people just embarrassed to ask an audio salesperson what they want to know? Are they so distrustful of the answers they get when they ask an audio salesperson? I understand that many of those trolls passing out cards which read "audio consultant" barely know a watt from an Ohm; but aren't many of the answers to recurring questions available elsewhere if these people would only apply themself to the task?



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