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Speaker Power Handling Question(s)

post #1 of 6
2/24/07 at 5:20am
Thread Starter 
Hey guys, I recently made a thread about budget speakers and am expecting a pair of Insignia Bookshelf speakers (the best buy ones). i was asked to craigslist or ebay for a cheap amp. i got a receiver that works, but i took a look at the manual and it says the outputs are:

120watts RMS for stereo output blah blah
or
105watts RMS for surround output blah blah
also
75watts RMS for rear speakers

... but the insignia's say it can handle only up until 120watts? will i blow out the speakers if i use this amp on stereo? or are there any ways around this (ie. plug in rear)?

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post #2 of 6
2/24/07 at 6:11am
This is a guess....

Sounds like your receiver will output 120 watts/channel (blah blah) in stereo mode. Or if operated in surround sound mode, 105 watts/channel for the front channels with 75 watts/channel to the rear speakers.

Speaker power handling specs are very ambiguous. They never mention how much power can be tolertated by the speaker at what frequencies, and for how long. For example, I serious doubt the Insignia speakers can handle 120 watts @ 100 Hz. There are boatloads of much more expensive speakers that can't handle such a power output. Assuming you don't crank your Insignia speakers pass their limits, your receiver should be OK. After all, it's not like your receiver will be putting out 120 watts/channel continuously....most of the time, it will just loaf around at under 10 watts/channel.
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post #3 of 6
2/24/07 at 6:17am
yeah it depends on what is playing. If you're playing a 10kHz sine wave at 10W, then you'll melt the tweeter. Yet for most music you can probably get away with 100W.
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post #4 of 6
2/24/07 at 12:57pm
You should do no harm to those 120 watt rated speakers with the 120 watt rated output of the receiver. Just because an amp is rates as capable of outputting 120 amps does not mean that's what it does put out when playing music at normal volumes. More likeliy it is putting out less than 1 watt 75% of the time, and reaching high output (anywhere from 10 to 50 watts) only during peaks.

You could use those speakers with a 500 or 1000 watt output amplifier, as long as you are judicious with the volume knob. Your ears would likely bleed before you damage the speakers.

You would more likely damage speakers by using an underpowerd amp - say a 10 watt amp with 50 or 100 watt rated speakers - why? Because the underpowered amp will clip more easily, and when clipping, will send out mass quantities of distorted noise and grunge which will damage your speakers.
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post #5 of 6
2/24/07 at 3:26pm
Thread Starter 
oh ok, so as long as i don't max out any volumes (assuming i can without blowing my eardrums) I should be fine? sounds good to me... since i paid less than what i would have to buy a t-amp and a wal-wart, not to mention waiting for the stuff to arrive!

so which "output" plug do i plug the stuff in/from? i am planning to plug the amp into my e-mu 0404 usb's main output... do i use some sort of RCA to mini plug? and if i do, which output plug do i plug out from? also, do i need a Left and Right RCA to 1 mini? or something else?
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post #6 of 6
2/25/07 at 8:03pm
I tried a pair of the insignia's on my desktop a while back and drove them with my arcam alpha one, which is a 30 watt integrated amp. I rarely turned the volume knob past 12, as by that time, the neighbors would be pounding on the shared wall and yelling obscenities
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