does Sony overadvertise the power of their amps?

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Pacfanweb

Lifer
Jan 2, 2000
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. getting a good dac/spdif receiver with balanced out to the amp is a lot of money. then i dont think the balanced out cables themselves are cheap.

Nobody said anything about balanced out. Pre-outs. Balanced is a waste of money, a LOT of money.
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
I dont think any pre/pro is worth it until hdmi 2.0 ones atart coming out. 4k tvs will be affordable soon and being stuck at 30hz imo is a big handicap.

Since many of us stream or use HD-Cable/Satellite. I don't see 4K dominating in the next lifecycle.

I like emotiva products. You have to definitely pick your fights though.
 

Pacfanweb

Lifer
Jan 2, 2000
13,149
57
91
Since many of us stream or use HD-Cable/Satellite. I don't see 4K dominating in the next lifecycle.

I don't, either. 4K isn't going to be any use to anyone with a normal-sized TV unless they are planning on sitting at half the distance they do now.

And even then, it's not going to help unless there is some 4K content. How long will it take for the studios to remaster everything that is now in Blu Ray to 4K?

I think the next "big thing" will be OLED. Now, it might be in 4K, but the reason it's going to be a big improvement isn't going to be because of the resolution.

Personally, I'd skip the 4K as a gimmick for now, unless I was burning for an LED/LCD set that costs a bunch.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
97,031
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I dont think any pre/pro is worth it until hdmi 2.0 ones atart coming out. 4k tvs will be affordable soon and being stuck at 30hz imo is a big handicap.

lulz, we don't even get full bitrate 1080p feed from cable/satellite. I doubt we will be doing 4k any time soon.
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
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tbqhwy.com
Nobody said anything about balanced out. Pre-outs. Balanced is a waste of money, a LOT of money.

i t really depends on what you are connecting to, Sure adapters are cheap however its a lot easier if all your amps run XLRs to just have your AVR/PrePro do it as well
 

HeXen

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2009
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Wattage is usually the last thing I look at. Unless you're having a rave party or really large room, 50rms each speaker is often plenty for most typical living rooms and volume levels. They say most people don't even push more than a couple dozen watts most of the time when watching TV anyway. I would look at all the other features and quality first. Don't let a few dozen watts determine your choice.

If a sound gets louder by 3 decibels or "slightly louder," it takes twice as much electrical power from your receiver or amp to produce that modest increase. Therefore, a 100-watt amplifier will produce sound only slightly louder than a 50-watt amplifier.
 

alcoholbob

Diamond Member
May 24, 2005
6,317
366
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lulz, we don't even get full bitrate 1080p feed from cable/satellite. I doubt we will be doing 4k any time soon.

I'm just saying...in case you ever hook up the PC to the TV.

i t really depends on what you are connecting to, Sure adapters are cheap however its a lot easier if all your amps run XLRs to just have your AVR/PrePro do it as well

And I think ground loops are generally a bigger problem in home systems than EMI since it's not really a recording environment with all the mics and miles of cables and electronics.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
97,031
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I'm just saying...in case you ever hook up the PC to the TV.



And I think ground loops are generally a bigger problem in home systems than EMI since it's not really a recording environment with all the mics and miles of cables and electronics.

My projector is 1080p and I doubt I'll be upgrading any time soon.
 

Pacfanweb

Lifer
Jan 2, 2000
13,149
57
91
lulz, we don't even get full bitrate 1080p feed from cable/satellite. I doubt we will be doing 4k any time soon.

I agree, 4k technology will have come a LONG way by the time it's actually worth it to worry about having a receiver that has it.
 

Pacfanweb

Lifer
Jan 2, 2000
13,149
57
91
Wattage is usually the last thing I look at. Unless you're having a rave party or really large room, 50rms each speaker is often plenty for most typical living rooms and volume levels. They say most people don't even push more than a couple dozen watts most of the time when watching TV anyway. I would look at all the other features and quality first. Don't let a few dozen watts determine your choice.

You are probably correct for most people.....and I ASSume that most who post here are more serious about HT than "most people", and perhaps that is a mistaken assumption.

I know that on a regular basis I sustain well over 100 watts. To do that requires peaks that are much higher. I have lots of headroom, so it's no problem. Nobody complains about having "too much power". You're always better off with more than less.
 

Accord99

Platinum Member
Jul 2, 2001
2,259
172
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You are probably correct for most people.....and I ASSume that most who post here are more serious about HT than "most people", and perhaps that is a mistaken assumption.
Many people also use relatively efficient speakers and powered subs, which reduces the amplification power requirements.

I know that on a regular basis I sustain well over 100 watts. To do that requires peaks that are much higher. I have lots of headroom, so it's no problem. Nobody complains about having "too much power". You're always better off with more than less.
Have you done power measurements? Unless you have a huge room and/or have inefficient speakers, sending 100 watts to a speaker placed in a living room is going to result in painfully loud and unbearable audio to the vast majority of people.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
97,031
16,248
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Many people also use relatively efficient speakers and powered subs, which reduces the amplification power requirements.


Have you done power measurements? Unless you have a huge room and/or have inefficient speakers, sending 100 watts to a speaker placed in a living room is going to result in painfully loud and unbearable audio to the vast majority of people.

Give organ music a try.

OR

http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-18...ords=dvd-audio


That is a technically superior but musically disastrous recording of 1812. Wear earplugs when you listen to it at reference level.
 
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Pacfanweb

Lifer
Jan 2, 2000
13,149
57
91
Many people also use relatively efficient speakers and powered subs, which reduces the amplification power requirements.


Have you done power measurements? Unless you have a huge room and/or have inefficient speakers, sending 100 watts to a speaker placed in a living room is going to result in painfully loud and unbearable audio to the vast majority of people.

One of my amps has watt meters. I would assume it is reasonably accurate.

My speakers are very efficient. Some people just like it loud and clear.
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
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They are not the only ones that provide deceptive description of power output.

Yep - it's basically industry standard.

Even when they do state it as, "75W/channel, 8-ohm, 0.01% THD" - there is no true guarantee that, in reality, the amp will deliver 75W.
Many will over-inflate, based on perhaps peak power when driving one very specific frequency tone (and not a whole mess of frequencies, like in reality). There's likely some kind of point where fewer variations in the audio is being amplified means the circuity can be more efficient, or something. Haven't looked into the physics and whatnot of this, but it sounds possible based on what I am familiar with.

I know some brands, like Harman/Kardon, are praised for underrating their own power ratings. I think my previous receiver (an H/K AVR247), rated at 50w per channel, could deliver far more at 50w.
There's also a distinct possibility that, perhaps it's accurate at that power and THD rating, but when you push it (they might built in tolerance of extra power?) closer to max volume, perhaps the distortion rises? I suspect I had heard more audible distortion when I got near the max volume number, but it may have just been too unbearably loud and that's why I refrained. That volume on low-quality sources also makes it easy to hear said low quality in a source (like low bitrate audio files).
I do know that H/K model seemed to have much headroom for loudness than the Marantz NR1403, which I have also heard praised for exceeding it's own rating. Either way, with the speakers I have now (which, with even more money on better, higher-sensitivity speakers, this can only get better), I can't even approach max volume on good sources. I CAN approach it now, not comfortably, or, more to the point, not without annoying apartment neighbors immediately, when watching cable. Our cable broadcasts with basic DD 5.1 at best, probably low bitrate. It's either because of that, or other reasons, but I have to use a higher volume on the dial. I can get the same loudness, with much better imaging and sound-stage presence to boot, at lower volume numbers when watching Netflix (DD+, health bitrate too) or, better yet, watching DD TrueHD or DTS HD-MA sources on Blu-ray. Of course the sound quality itself is better, but that definitely means I know for sure, on current speakers, I couldn't tolerate max power on this receiver. Not unless I was utilizing a massive TV and had speakers no closer than 20ft from ears all around.
 

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
Many people also use relatively efficient speakers and powered subs, which reduces the amplification power requirements.


Have you done power measurements? Unless you have a huge room and/or have inefficient speakers, sending 100 watts to a speaker placed in a living room is going to result in painfully loud and unbearable audio to the vast majority of people.

lol i have a tiny room and very efficient speakers, with lots of power

woo woo
 

alcoholbob

Diamond Member
May 24, 2005
6,317
366
126
lol im the exact opposite, all my speakers are 4ohm with 85db sensitivity and I'm in a 9000 cu ft. office room. So that's why I'm reppin a 80 pound receiver (Yamaha RX-Z11).