The kind of power that counts

July 31, 2009

I have a set of Usher V-604s that I love, but unfortunately my A/V receiver is lacking, and they don't really have much life with it. Some reviews recommend a mid-power receiver, as the speakers don't respond well to being overpowered or underpowered. The speakers are rated for 100W at 8 ohms, and can be single-wired or biwired. Any suggestions for a good mid-range A/V receiver would be greatly appreciated. I will eventually be filling out the system for home theater, probably with V-601s for the rear and an Usher center-channel speaker. Also, if you have a link for a good tutorial on how to tell what wattage to use, that would be great, too. I've heard for years that it's not the power that counts, it's the cleanliness of the signal that counts. But what does that really mean?

Ron Hamann

What it means is this: You want your amp to be delivering clean, undistorted power. When a power amplifier is driven past its limits, the result is what's called "clipping," which is a highly distorted signal that is often far more damaging for speakers than providing them with higher-than-specified clean power. As a result, you're always better off with an amplifier that can deliver more than enough power, rather than too little or barely enough. If an amplifier is driven into clipping, you should be able to hear it quite easily. The sound is usually harsh and grating.

The question is: How much power is enough? The 100W rating your speakers come with doesn't tell you much. It's just a general guideline and not very telling of what kind of power your amplifier should deliver. They're just telling you not to exceed that amount of power for a period of time. Along with the speaker's rating, you have to take into account your room size and listening habits -- mostly, how loud you like your music or movies to be. You might find that 50W might do, or you might really need 150W just to make sure you have the headroom. Just remember to err on the side of having too much power rather than too little and, also, make sure that the amplifier manufacturer is supplying honest specs, since not all do. That, though, is another story.

Grilles on or off?

July 25, 2009

Should I listen to my speakers with the grilles on or off? I've heard differing opinions.

Don Weller

This question comes up quite often, and there's not a simple answer as it varies from speaker to speaker. Most companies design their speakers so they sound good with the grilles off. If I had to guess, I'd say more than 90 percent do, and the grilles are more or less an afterthought. In some instances, though, the speakers have been designed so the best performance is had with the grilles in place. Paradigm is a company that comes to mind that does this. Usually, their speakers are optimized so that the grille aids with dispersion and reduces diffraction effects. In that case, on is the right way.

Spade lugs or bananas?

July 20, 2009

Which are better for speaker cables, spade lugs or bananas?

Troy Empel

You'll likely find someone who will pick one or the other for a particular reason, but I use both. If forced to pick one over the other, I'd probably go with bananas. Spade lugs can work their way loose from binding posts and slip off. Bananas, on the other hand, might get loose, but they rarely slip out.

Speakers or cables?

July 15, 2009

I was going to upgrade my speakers but my friend said I should look at upgrading my speaker cables first. He says I can get improvements that way. What do you think?

Mike Hayes

Speaker cables can make some difference but, by far, the biggest difference you're going to hear will be by swapping speakers. Consider this: Most speaker cables sound indentical, or at least so similar it's hard to tell them apart. But no two speakers I've heard sound the same.

Tubes without the hassles?

July 10, 2009

Is there such a thing as a tube amp that requires no maintenance? I like the idea of tubes, but I don't like the idea of having to worry about them.

Trevor Rickley

There are some tube amps that require less maintenance than others, but all of them will need to be worked on from time to time. At a minimum, the tubes won't last forever and you will be forced to change them periodically. If you really want to live hassle-free, you're better off with a solid-state amp.

List of speakers to audition

July 3, 2009

Over the last few months I’ve been researching and building a short list of speakers to audition for a new two-channel system. It’s been almost 20 years and it’s finally time to replace my old Yamaha and Denon components and my beloved Paradigm 5se speakers.

I wanted to thank you for the excellent reviews you publish. They’ve really helped me to get up to date. I’ve purchased an NAD C720BEE receiver and an NAD C515BEE CD player. Now I’m about to begin auditioning speakers. Here’s my list:

Two questions, if you would be so kind as to offer your thoughts: Is there another speaker I should be auditioning -- one that I’ve missed? Is it worth it to go to the trouble of ordering the Sierra-1s just for an audition, given that the others are all available for a listen within driving distance?

Thanks so much,

Curt Topper

Depending on what your budget is, you could definitely add in the new Dynaudio Excite X12 that we just reviewed. As for other speakers, there are dozens more that could be added to your list. However, practical considerations come into play, so there is only so much you can listen to, just as there are only so many speakers we can review. What you have is a good start, and we definitely suggest getting the Sierra-1s in to listen to since we did find them to be an excellent speaker as well.