Input Sensitivty

[Buckeye Amps]

I am currently running Hypex NC502 amps for my LCR (which are 4ohm speakers) and NC252 amps for surrounds and Atmos (8ohm speakers). This puts Vrms for the 502 around 2.3v and the 252 around 1.8v. With that, I have the Input Sensitivity of the HTP-1 set to 2.0 to kind of cut the difference of the two amps in half, which means my 502 isn't being given all of it's power/headroom but with so much power on tap it's not an issue.

However, I may be upgrading my LCR to 8ohm speakers, meaning the Vrms of the 502 amp would now be around 2.7Vrms. Since I would definitely be missing out on some good headroom if I still used a sensitivity of 2.0 on the HTP-1....should I bump the setting up to 2.7 if I get the new speakers? I know this means I am now possibly clipping the signal for the 252 amp, but being that this amp powers the surrounds and Atmos channels, that probably won't be an actual issue right?

 

[Vasr]

The fact that there may not be continuous audio into surrounds doesn't mean the dynamic range required into surrounds is any less than LCR when they are used (at least for contemporary movies) so you cannot assume clipping is ok anywhere.

Do you typically listen at or close to reference levels? If not, it is a non-issue. Much more of a problem is getting the relative volumes right if the amp/speaker combination of one pair is effectively much lower or higher than the typical -10db correction that can be made in the pre/pro to the input.

Set it up the lowest output possible that won't clip at reference level for any combination and level the volumes all around (or let Dirac do it). If that does not result in the volume levels you need or even the peaks you can stand (most of the HT high-power thump comes from subs anyway). Just don't let Dirac boost your lows too much to compensate for inadequate speaker output.