New stereo receiver with old speakers

[JasonSix78]

I currently have an old Aiwa Home Theater shelf system and I would really like to replace it with just a standalone stereo receiver. The Aiwa 5.1 speakers that came with it sound really well and I would like to use those instead of buying a whole new set of speakers.

My question is, how will these old speakers fair with a new stereo receiver? I have very limited knowledge of this kind of stuff but does impedance and other factors play a role in the compatibility and possibly cause harm to the receiver?

 

[iRONic]

Start here

 

[MrChad]

In addition to impedance, make sure your speakers can handle the increased wattage from the (likely larger) amp on the new receiver.

 

[JasonSix78]

I looked through Yoyo's thread before I posted and although it has a lot of good info, it didn't really answer my specific question. I was just wondering how I could see if these Aiwa speakers will work fine with a new receiver.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Do they have information on their specs on them or in the AIWA manual?

If you have the model number, we might be able to look it up for you too.

As long as you're not trying to recreate a rock concert in your room, I'd suspect that you'll be fine with them. For the subwoofer, what are the connections on it? (speaker wire or an RCA connection?)

 

[JasonSix78]

Yeah, I never have things turned up much at all. The stereo volume will go up to 50 but I never have it more than 15-18.

Here's the specs from the tag on the back of the speakers:

Fronts: 6 Ohms, No wattage specified

Center Channel: 8 Ohms, 40 Watts

Rears: 8 Ohms, 40 Watts

Sub: 60Hz, 40 Watts No impedance specified

On the back of the sub, there are two types of inputs; a single RCA-style input and then two sets of posts (the kind you insert bare speaker wire into, I'm not sure what the correct term is.) One set of the posts are labeled "Input" and the other "Speaker Output."

Another thing I wanted to ask is about the center channel and the rears. Both of these plug into the back of the stereo with a RCA-style end. However, the two front speakers use the posts like on the back of the sub. Is it possible to cut these plugs off, find the polarity, and then insert them into a regular post. The reason I ask is because the receivers I've seen do not have the RCA-style outputs for the speakers, just the post-style.


EDIT: While looking for a receiver, this one caught my eye:
Yamaha RX-V361

Would this receiver be too much for my speakers?

 

[Soundmanred]

Yes, you'll just cut the plugs off for the main speakers and find their polarity.
It looks like that sub is a 40W powered sub. You'll just hook the mains to the "post style" outputs and the sub to the sub-out RCA jack on the reciever. The impedence on the sub won't matter since it's powered, and I'm sure the reciever can handle 6 Ohms since you won't be driving it hard.
No reciever will be "too much" if you know how to moderate the volume and recognize distortion.
Could it blow those speakers quickly? Most definitely.

 

[Muadib]

That receiver will work fine with those speakers spec wise. You might have a problem with the sub though, because it may not be powered. Like jello said, the model of your Aiwa would help.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: JasonSix78
EDIT: While looking for a receiver, this one caught my eye:
Yamaha RX-V361

Would this receiver be too much for my speakers?

What are you hoping to improve with a receiver vs. how you have the Aiwa system set up now?

That receiver or a basic unit from Onkyo / Pioneer would all be good basic choices for a receiver. It's pretty hard to get much lower in price than the range you're already looking at.

 

[JasonSix78]

The sub is a powered one so I think it should be alright. One of the main reasons I want to upgrade is the lack of A/V inputs on this Aiwa system (2). I currently have 4 devices that need to go through the stereo and I have to switch them out, which is a pain. I don't plan on using the Aiwa speakers with the new receiver for too long. Most of my extra cash is going towards a HDTV for now, and later on down the road I'll pick up a nice set of speakers.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: JasonSix78
The sub is a powered one so I think it should be alright. One of the main reasons I want to upgrade is the lack of A/V inputs on this Aiwa system (2). I currently have 4 devices that need to go through the stereo and I have to switch them out, which is a pain. I don't plan on using the Aiwa speakers with the new receiver for too long. Most of my extra cash is going towards a HDTV for now, and later on down the road I'll pick up a nice set of speakers.

Gotcha.

I was thinking that if it was just a number of inputs issue that an input switch might be a more economical way to do this if the system was good enough for you in sound quality already. If this is the start of an upgrade path though, that's a good reason to get a receiver