Question about amps

doug lang

I have a question comparing two amps for output.I purchased a nad 2200pe 2 channel 100 amp listed at 100w. I am using the amp for two side speakers to complete 7.1 with my Sunfire. The add on speakers are Cambridge s300 multipole 8 ohms, rated at 10 to 100 watts. The problem is I really can't hear them to clearly. I have made adjustments with all remaining speakers, but still they are very quiet.
First would a bigger amp help say 200 watts, or do you think the speakers are to lame for my system. Thanks

phipiper10

Did you listen to those speakers in 2 channel stereo through the NAD? If they sound fine in two channel it's more likely you might have been expecting more than is delivered in the surround modes.

It really all depends on the movie. Most sounds out of the side/ rear channels are more subtle than one might expect, at least in my experience. At virtually no point would you find them as dominant as say a center channel.

Again my experience. Don't get me wrong those surround speakers make a big difference in the middle of a movie but just wasn't what I initially expected. Maybe the same is true for you?

PolkWannabie

Have you calibrated the speakers using an SPL Meter ? ...

If not that's a good place to start ...

doug lang

Yea i could be expecting two much from them. They are definately not as strong as my rears (FX's). Those i can hear.

doug lang

You know i still don't have a meter. It's lame but i still do it by ear.

doug lang

One final question, Would a bigger 2 channel amp give you more responce.

snow

doug lang wrote:

I have a question comparing two amps for output.I purchased a nad 2200pe 2 channel 100 amp listed at 100w. I am using the amp for two side speakers to complete 7.1 with my Sunfire. The add on speakers are Cambridge s300 multipole 8 ohms, rated at 10 to 100 watts. The problem is I really can't hear them to clearly. I have made adjustments with all remaining speakers, but still they are very quiet.
First would a bigger amp help say 200 watts, or do you think the speakers are to lame for my system. Thanks

interesting problem. i have no idea what the speakers should sound like on your system. but usally more information is given to the sides versus rear surrounds. so i assume in most cases you would hear more from the sides. unless of course your rears are say rated at 104 db at 1 watt and your sides are rated at 87 db at 1 watt for example then you would never catch up no matter how big the amp. i would try to go into the menu on you pre pro and adjust the levels there if possible. and i would buy a sound meter to try to balance things out. of course a bigger amp usally sounds better. but your nad should have plenty of power for most speakers. they normally have a very high amount of headroom and a good amount of gain. REGARDS SNOW

Holydoc

doug lang wrote:

You know i still don't have a meter. It's lame but i still do it by ear.

When you are talking about HT sound, you cannot rely on your ears to calibrate your system. You need to purchase a DVD like AVIA (or rent it from Blockbuster) and purchase or borrow a Radioshack SPL meter. Using the white noise testtones from the AVIA DvD you can accurately calibrate your system.

This will tell you several things to include:
1) That your system is set-up correctly and that all speakers are functioning
2) That your system has ample amplification to drive all the speakers to reference level.
3) Whether you have timbre matching speakers to give you a smooth transition
etc...

By doing this you ensure all speakers are playing at the same loudness and that you do not have a speaker or set of speakers set too hot. From the above test you can determine whether you need more amplification, speakers are set up right (i.e. are in phase and timbre matching), and where to start to improve your system.

In other words, sometimes it is not so wise to trust your ears.

Ricardo

I would not think changing the amp would do anything; if they are calibrated correctly, this would offset any amps difference between the different speakers.

Agree that you should hear more from the sides than the rears; have you tried all channel stereo? Or Changing the feed at the Sunfire to swap rears with sides to see if the "low" speakers are still the same?

jdhdiggs

Sounds like a gain and efficiency difference. You will really need to calibrate the whole system. More power won't play louder if it isn'e calibrated.

cfrizz

Get a RS SPL meter & calibrate. You can use the test tones that come with the receiver. Put the speakers on the Sunfire, I will bet you will hear a difference, I certainly did. And if you do, you now know why I recommend 200wpc for all speakers. If you don't then I would say that the speakers just don't have it in them once they are fed more power & properly calibrated.

reeltrouble1

I am familiar with the NAD power envelopes, its overkill for a surround speaker, plenty of juice there. Just calibrate as suggested, with different brand amps you are likely to have different slew rates which has to do with how fast the amp is, lots of people mix amps and its not generally listed as a problem, as suggested your speaks likely have different sensitivety.

RT1

doug lang

Hey thanks. I recalibrated the speakers, and moved the sides a little closer to ear level. You know one problem i have is a tight room with some loud speakers. As you can see by my system all polk 4 ohms. They like to be driven.
I will also be getting a meter, i have been told this by all a number of times. By the way i just watched twister and it really sounds great. Some of you have said 7.1 is worth it, i have to agree. Thanks again and best to all, doug