watts question

krabby5
krabby5 Posts: 923
edited November 2005 in Speakers
Hey All,

I have high-end Kenwood receiver (high-end for Bestbuy :) ) that puts out 100watts per channel..

Since I got a REALLY great deal on a Polk Center channel a couple years ago (I paid $149 for a $399 open box special), I want to get Polk fronts to match.. I currently have 10 year old infinity bookshelves that are nice but would like to upgrade..

I notice that the RTi8 has a range of 20-250 watts per channel...

The Monitor50 or R50 has a range of 20-150 watts per channel

Would I be wasting money if I get the RTi's since my receiver can only pump out 100 watts max?

thanks
Pioneer Elite VSX-53, Polk RT800i fronts, Polk CS400i center, FX500i surround, Velodyne sub
Post edited by krabby5 on
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Comments

  • aaharvel
    aaharvel Posts: 4,489
    edited November 2005
    welcome to the forums and no, you would not be wasting your time.
    If you have the funds go for the RTi's.
    H/K Signature 2.1+235
    Jungson MagicBoat II
    Revel Performa M-20
    Velodyne cht-10 sub
    Rega P1 Turntable

    "People working at Polk Audio must sit around the office and just laugh their balls off reading many of these comments." -Lush
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  • Frank Z
    Frank Z Posts: 5,860
    edited November 2005
    ...and you can always add a seperate amp later to give those RTi's a bit more power. Upgradeitis cannot be cured.;)
    9/11 - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!! (<---<<click)
    2005-06 Club Polk Football Pool Champion!! :D
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  • michael_w
    michael_w Posts: 2,813
    edited November 2005
    I wouldn't say you'd be wasting your time or money but I think after using a kenwood receiver with RTi8's you would find the need to upgrade. I have a panasonic receiver that puts out "100 watts" a channel and it will very very easily get outpowered by my NAD rated at about 80 watts / channel. The ratings thrown onto most receivers (excluding a few brands + models) are usually a bit excessive and under the company's specific standards it has set for itself to produce big numbers.

    I could be totally wrong about your receiver as I haven't had any personal experiance with Kenwood receivers but it's just general advice. Also, does your kenwood have pre-outs? If so it'll give you the option of adding a seperate amp later that would let you use the RTi8's to their full potential (in the amplifier section anyways).

    Welcome to the forum.
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  • John K.
    John K. Posts: 822
    edited November 2005
    Krab, welcome. Keep in mind that the maximum power rating on a speaker is simply what it could theoretically handle for an extended period of time(even more would be okay briefly) without going up in smoke; it doesn't mean that the speaker would actually need anywhere near that much power. Speakers of average sensitivity(including the RTi8s)use about 1 watt most of the time when playing at a comfortably loud average level, and depending on factors such as room size, distance of the listener, dynamic range of the program material, etc. it's unlikely that even brief peaks would use more than about 100 watts or even less. So, the "only" 100 watts that your receiver can supply would be more than enough in most cases. Get the RTis if you want to.
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  • michael_w
    michael_w Posts: 2,813
    edited November 2005
    That's a good point... it all depends on your listening habits. If you want to rock out you'll need some more power, where as if you never really crank it you should be just fine. Keep in mind the difference between 100 watts and 200 watts is about 3 decibels...
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  • aaharvel
    aaharvel Posts: 4,489
    edited November 2005
    take your Kenwood "100wpc" and divide the number of channels it has (5? 7?) into 100. That's probably about what your Kenwood is actually putting out in terms of wattage.

    watts mean jack when it comes to mid-fi. It's all about the current, the power supply, and the secondary power supply.
    H/K Signature 2.1+235
    Jungson MagicBoat II
    Revel Performa M-20
    Velodyne cht-10 sub
    Rega P1 Turntable

    "People working at Polk Audio must sit around the office and just laugh their balls off reading many of these comments." -Lush
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  • MrNightly
    MrNightly Posts: 3,370
    edited November 2005
    Frank Z wrote:
    .... Upgradeitis cannot be cured.;)

    I don't even have a complete system yet, and let me tell you... it's a terrible disease... it will never leave you alone.. but that's half the fun isn't it? :P and the other half is convincing the better half that, "It really is WORTH the money to spend on the equipment." Ha. Life is great!!
    Honoured to be, an original SOPA founding member
    Stuff...

    RTi12's - front
    CSi5 - center
    FXi3's - surrounds
    RTi4's - surrounds
    SVS PB12-NSD/2 - sub :D:D:D
    Denon 3805
    Rotel RB-985 5-Channel Amplifier

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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,776
    edited November 2005
    The reason why people get a ton of power is simple...

    Although you only need about 5-10 watts most of the time...

    Having that extra 300-400 watts laying around for peaks... and it being able to play those peaks without reaching the amps limits means HEADROOM and lots of it.

    Which means less stress on the amp... which means cleaner power... which means better sound.

    Its not a matter of need...its a matter of how much.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • krabby5
    krabby5 Posts: 923
    edited November 2005
    thanks for the replies...

    I went to Infinity's site and found the specs for my current bookshelf speakers

    http://www.infinitysystems.com/homeaudio/product_detail.aspx?Prod=IF48003B&cat=&sType=

    I'm wondering if getting the Polk Moniter 50 would be much better than what I currently have considering I also have a pretty decent Velodyne sub?

    or if it would be better to wait awhile and spend more...
    Pioneer Elite VSX-53, Polk RT800i fronts, Polk CS400i center, FX500i surround, Velodyne sub
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  • DeadFeat1
    DeadFeat1 Posts: 51
    edited November 2005
    Hi! First post here...I have to agree with John K. Usually a system requires only 1-2 watts continuous power under most circumstances. It may need more when an organ hits a very low note or an earthquake is occuring in a movie you are watching. That is when HEADROOM is necessary or how much power can your amp put out for brief periods of time. You have more than enough power. In fact, I believe the whole power thing can be very misleading. Some esoteric amplifiers only put out several watts with many people quite content with the results. Enjoy your system and Kenwood makes a very fine product.
    Don't forget to enjoy the music...
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