I have a Denon x3800h and a 5.1.4 setup. All my speakers are reasonably easy to drive except for my L/R fronts. Do I need a power amp?
My fronts are 4ohm speakers that have dips between 90-400hz down to 3ohm. Everywhere else is 4ohms or higher. They are rated 86db sensitive for 2.83v.
After the speakers are calibrated using Audyssey, my listening level is -30db to -25db. On some occasions I have gone to -20db, but mostly when the source content seems quieter than usual. I have never exceeded -20db, ever.
reference is defined as 85db average, and 105db peaks. This suggests that for my usage, I need power to get to 65db averages and 85db peaks.
Using the online SPL calculator, I input the speakers as 83db sensitive, because the 2.83v required for 86db is 2 watts, rather than 1. I only calculate one speaker, away from walls, 12.5 feet away. Under these parameters, I only need 25 watts per channel for the fronts. To have 3db or 6db headroom I need 50 or 100 watts.
because of that, I used an old receiver to power all 6 of my surround speakers. The Denon is only powering the front 3. Which, according to ASR bench tests should net me at least 100w per channel.
I later learned from reading threads here that it’s not so simple. It’s not just watts I need, but I need a “high current” amplifier to drive my low impedance speakers properly. So even though I have 100 watts, it’s Still not enough?
So, what now? Does a x4800h provide sufficient current? If I offload the center speaker to the old external receiver, the Denon should theoretically provide 170 watts to the front LR speakers. Is that STILL not enough to compensate for low current? Do I need an external amp for the fronts?
My fronts are 4ohm speakers that have dips between 90-400hz down to 3ohm. Everywhere else is 4ohms or higher. They are rated 86db sensitive for 2.83v.
After the speakers are calibrated using Audyssey, my listening level is -30db to -25db. On some occasions I have gone to -20db, but mostly when the source content seems quieter than usual. I have never exceeded -20db, ever.
reference is defined as 85db average, and 105db peaks. This suggests that for my usage, I need power to get to 65db averages and 85db peaks.
Using the online SPL calculator, I input the speakers as 83db sensitive, because the 2.83v required for 86db is 2 watts, rather than 1. I only calculate one speaker, away from walls, 12.5 feet away. Under these parameters, I only need 25 watts per channel for the fronts. To have 3db or 6db headroom I need 50 or 100 watts.
because of that, I used an old receiver to power all 6 of my surround speakers. The Denon is only powering the front 3. Which, according to ASR bench tests should net me at least 100w per channel.
I later learned from reading threads here that it’s not so simple. It’s not just watts I need, but I need a “high current” amplifier to drive my low impedance speakers properly. So even though I have 100 watts, it’s Still not enough?
So, what now? Does a x4800h provide sufficient current? If I offload the center speaker to the old external receiver, the Denon should theoretically provide 170 watts to the front LR speakers. Is that STILL not enough to compensate for low current? Do I need an external amp for the fronts?
