How do I know the true wattage output of my receiver?

[Zman2k2]

Like the title says. I have the receiver in my sig, and I'm curious lately as to how much it actually puts out when in 2-chan or 5.1-chan mode. I guess the reason I'm curious is that in the latest Sound and Vision mag, it has testing on two receivers, and they both put out different wattage compared to what they are rated. One puts out rated power in 2-chan mode, but puts out alot less in 5.1 and 7.1 modes. The other puts out greater than rated in 2-chan mode and rated power in 5.1 and 7.1 modes.

Do we really know what we're getting when we buy a receiver? Does anyone know of some mathematical formula or something that uses voltage output or something, to test the results?

[RandDawg]

If you want real numbers, it needs to be tested.

Everything else is marketing. Some manufacturers get much closer to their reported ratings than others though.

[Twitch9]

Usually it's very close to what the receiver is listed at, but it can very from manufactures. Most receivers don't work the same way as a separate amp, an amp will produce more power per channel when running 2.0 over 5.1 where a receiver will run the same power to each channel in 2.0 as 5.1

[Zixxer]

the FCC needs to set tighter regulations on this. sound & vision proves inconsistency between what the company claims and the actual capabilites of their product; because many companies simply don't state their testing conditions. so company x will claim their system is a 500 watt surround sound system. how do they get away with it? they test one channel at a time driving extremely sensitive speakers over a very limited frequency range. moreover they conclude that if one can be driven at 100 watts, and we have 5 channels, then we have a 500 watt system. it's horrible that companies get away with this.

i can't answer your question, but if you are in the market, i will tell you this. when shopping around be sure to have a cd/dvd/bd that you are very familiar with. test it on those "500+ watt" systems. some of them tell the truth... most of them lie. Harman Kardon, Onkyo, and Yamaha are a few names i trust (in particular HK).

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Zman2k2

Like the title says. I have the receiver in my sig, and I'm curious lately as to how much it actually puts out when in 2-chan or 5.1-chan mode. I guess the reason I'm curious is that in the latest Sound and Vision mag, it has testing on two receivers, and they both put out different wattage compared to what they are rated. One puts out rated power in 2-chan mode, but puts out alot less in 5.1 and 7.1 modes. The other puts out greater than rated in 2-chan mode and rated power in 5.1 and 7.1 modes.

Do we really know what we're getting when we buy a receiver? Does anyone know of some mathematical formula or something that uses voltage output or something, to test the results?

If this is an issue or bothers you the best thing you can do is get A sep. amp.
The sound you get from an amp is so much CLEANER , PURER , & BETTER SOUNDING !!!! You will wish you had done this along time ago !!

[Big Daddy]

For an approximation, do the following:

• Buy a voltmeter from Radio Shack or other electronic stores.
• Connect the voltmeter to the speakers leads.
• Start the receiver/amplifier.
• Play a test tone (e.g., 1kHz).
• Turn up the volume and note the volts on the voltmeter.
• Square the volts and divide it by the resistance and that will give you power.

Power = V^2 / R

A better way is to connect big resistors to all the channels and use an oscilloscope. Details are in this link.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

For an approximation, do the following:

• Buy a voltmeter from Radio Shack or other electronic stores.
• Connect the voltmeter to the speakers leads.
• Start the receiver/amplifier.
• Play a test tone (e.g., 1kHz).
• Turn up the volume and note the volts on the voltmeter.
• Square the volts and divide it by the resistance and that will give you power.

Power = V^2 / R

A better way is to connect big resistors to all the channels and use an oscilloscope. Details are in this link.

GEEEEEEEEEEEZ BD ~ Now I'm confused ! Power = V^2 / R ----

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

GEEEEEEEEEEEZ BD ~ Now I'm confused ! Power = V^2 / R ----

Aren't you glad I didn't give you this formula?

Formula15-9.jpg

[crazyBLUE]

WHAT THE HEK IS THAT !! Please don't tell me , I'm sure I don't want to know !!!

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Aren't you glad I didn't give you this formula?

Attachment 5682

Big Daddy is the ultimate audio freak. I will bet that he has this formula as his desktop wall paper.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

Big Daddy is the ultimate audio freak. I will bet that he has this formula as his desktop wall paper.

No, actually I wrote a book that has this formula in it. It is a regression formula that you use in a course in statistics. It has nothing to do with audio.

[Slec]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

No, actually I wrote a book that has this formula in it. It is a regression formula that you use in a course in statistics. It has nothing to do with audio.

I was about to call B.S. I have that bad boy memorized.

[lucv13]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Aren't you glad I didn't give you this formula?

Attachment 5683

Do you play on that tv show Numb3rs

[Zman2k2]

Yeah, I figured that I'd need to get it tested, but that is of course rather expensive. Big Daddy, thanks for the formula. I may give that a shot, as I already have a decent voltmeter, so I may go searching for a few test tones to download and try out.

I don't really know why this came up, but I was just curious. I guess as Zixxer said, I wonder how alot of companies come up with the rated power of a certain receiver. I was reading the magazine, and then last night, I was flipping through the manual on my receiver, and I wondered if I'm really getting the 150W @ 6ohms that I'm currently set-up for.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Zman2k2

Yeah, I figured that I'd need to get it tested, but that is of course rather expensive. Big Daddy, thanks for the formula. I may give that a shot, as I already have a decent voltmeter, so I may go searching for a few test tones to download and try out.

I don't really know why this came up, but I was just curious. I guess as Zixxer said, I wonder how alot of companies come up with the rated power of a certain receiver. I was reading the magazine, and then last night, I was flipping through the manual on my receiver, and I wondered if I'm really getting the 150W @ 6ohms that I'm currently set-up for.

You can't pay too much attention to numbers. If your system sounds good, enjoy it and leave it at that. If you worry too much about everything and try to micro manage it, it will drive you crazy and make you sick.

[jomari]

as mentioned earlier, most of the specs issued by companies arent as accurate as we'd like them to be. zman hit the money shot on that posting, and also discusses why we, as consumers, need such regulation. all these specs are done within their compounds, and can mislead the consumer towards it. thats why we have websites (including sound and vision ) and more importantly, forums. most researches, testing, evaluation et al, done by 'professionals' are unbiased in such cases. if there was ever a counsel on this topic, we have Big Daddy up as one of them.

of course, id be secretly playing militia to counterbalance his opinions.

[rded]

I know for a fact that my receiver outputs 120 watts per channel, all channels(7) driven-no bullsh*t! and 150 watts 2 channels. Because companies like Arcam do not sugar coat their specs if anything they rate them conservatively

[rpatt]

I've been watching the tests in Sound And Vision magazine and as mentioned all receivers are different in actual power vs their claim. Some were better than others but all produced less when powering more channels which makes sense. The problem is that the claimed power usually reflects the two channel output. Below is the tested output (Sound & Vision) of the Yamaha RX-V3900 (rated at 140-W/Channel). I have the 3800 and am guessing that the amps are pretty close. That's why I bought a separate 3-channel amp.

1 Channel-189 Watts
2 Channels-150 Watts
5 Channels-100 Watts
7 Channels-88 Watts

[rded]

Originally Posted by rpatt

I've been watching the tests in Sound And Vision magazine and as mentioned all receivers are different in actual power vs their claim. Some were better than others but all produced less when powering more channels which makes sense. The problem is that the claimed power usually reflects the two channel output. Below is the tested output (Sound & Vision) of the Yamaha RX-V3900 (rated at 140-W/Channel). I have the 3800 and am guessing that the amps are pretty close. That's why I bought a separate 3-channel amp.

1 Channel-189 Watts
2 Channels-150 Watts
5 Channels-100 Watts
7 Channels-88 Watts

I've noticed in almost every forum that people obsess with power. I keep on telling my friends that power is not all that, but you have to have good clean high-current.
Would you believe that this at 50 watts x2
was able to handle this without clipping?

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by rded

I've noticed in almost every forum that people obsess with power. I keep on telling my friends that power is not all that, but you have to have good clean high-current.
Would you believe that this at 50 watts x2
was able to handle this without clipping?

This is true. I have had plenty of people ask me what kind of watts my subwoofers and speakers are getting. I always say that it doesn't really matter as the first watt is what really matters the most but generally give in by telling them what they are capable of handling. I have an old Technics amp powering a 15" passive subwoofer right now and it sounds fantastic. It only , however, puts out around 41 watts. It can get louder than most people are willing to listen to. This is what matters most.