mjs@cmu-cs-g.ARPA (Mark Stehlik) (03/06/85)
I currently have a JVC receiver and am thinking of upgrading to a separate integrated amp and tuner. Part of the reason for this is that the JVC is rated at 60W/channel and with my new CD player, I would like to have a little more power to prevent clipping. Any suggestions as to how much power would be useful (as opposed to wasteful) and recommendations on specific integrated amps would be much appreciated. Comments from people with CD players as to the amps that they are currently using would be quite useful. Feel free to reply either to net.audio or to me via mail. Mark mjs@cmu-cs-g.arpa
rfg@hound.UUCP (R.GRANTGES) (03/10/85)
[] Depends on your spkrs and present amp, but 60 watts ought to be enuf. Still, I have about 110 and wish for more. Anyhow, you are going to have to go for substantially more for it to make a noticeable difference unless your present amp has a problem. You want an amp with high current capability. this is indicated by its having higher ratings at 4 ohms than it does at 8 ohms and by that being noticeable on burst measurements - short term or music power or whatever. If your present amp is one of theose with a 4 ohm rating equal to or less than its 8 ohm rating- or even with no 4 ohm rating at all, then even a relatively modest power increase (say to 100 watts at 8 ohms might produce better CD sound). Other things being equal, I'd say that you ought to figure at least 250 watts or so if your speakers will take it (most will on short bursts at low freq's) Consider that if you went to 600 watts, that is a 10 decibel increase and might sound say "twice as loud" as 60 watts. Certainly not 10 times as loud. Now 600 watts would cook almost any speaker if sustained even at low freqs. It would also blow out tweeters like crazy....I am thinking of it myself as my AR-9's take a lot of killing and I can't quite make the house fall apart with the Jet flyby on the "Digital Domain" CD. Also, I haven't shattered a single one of our Waterford Crystal Glasses in the next room yet, even tho I've used miles of memorex tape. :-) -- "It's the thought, if any, that counts!" Dick Grantges hound!rfg