How much an ideal power or wattage of a receiver or amplifier is?

We have already discussed most elements of an AV receiver extensively, but we still get a lot of questions about the power, also called the wattage. In this article we will discuss the question of what the ideal power or wattage of a receiver or amplifier is.

Receiver vs amplifier

It is not really interesting for this article, but for those who are just starting to assemble a home cinema system, it is wise to read our article about the difference between a receiver and an amplifier . However, both devices have a certain power, indicated by the Wattage, with which the connected speakers are controlled.

ideal power or wattage of a receiver or amplifier – Power of receivers and amplifiers

Every receiver or amplifier, and even every home cinema system, is nowadays touted with a power of xxx Watt. According to the manufacturer, some home cinema systems have a power of 1,000 watts, while many high-end amplifiers have a power of 80 watts. So for many this causes quite a bit of confusion because what exactly does this wattage say, how can you compare equipment with this and how much power do you need?

First of all, it must be said that the wattage of a home cinema system, receiver or amplifier is a specification with which you can hardly compare. In most cases it is a meaningless specification that is measured differently by each manufacturer. It goes without saying that a way is used to be able to put the highest possible wattage on the box to convince you as a consumer of quality. Unfortunately, the wattage also says nothing about the quality of the sound. However, with a number of years of experience, we can say that high power often coincides with a high weight. A small and light device with a power of 1,000 watts already raises questions for us. After all, a lot of power requires heavy components such as transformers.

Check wattage

Nevertheless, we can deduce something from the wattage reported by a manufacturer if we look further at how this wattage came about. Most interesting is a power that is described with RMS (root mean squared). This means that continuous power for a long period of time is possible, and this gives you a better indication of the capabilities of a receiver or amplifier than just the peak power that some manufacturers mention. It is wise to look at the term ‘all channels driven’. This means that the reported power is based on driving all channels and not just the stereo channels. If only two channels are used when measuring the power, this will be significantly lower when playing surround sound.

A third specification to pay attention to with regard to wattage is the bandwidth. If the power is based on a meager 1kHz frequency, then you don’t know what a device can do if more is required. If a bandwidth of 20Hz – 20kHz is indicated, you know that the receiver or amplifier processed a full-range audio signal when determining the wattage. This again shows that the wattage is closer to practical experience. Manufacturers of receivers and amplifiers also sometimes want to play with the impedance (resistance), since a lower impedance doubles the power. For example, on some devices a power of 200 Watts at 4 Ohm (resistance) is stated, but most speakers are 6 Ohm or 8 Ohm, so that you have less power.

ideal power or wattage of a receiver or amplifier?

The question is of course how much power you need exactly to control the speakers in your home cinema system. Unfortunately, this question is not easy to answer. After all, it does not only depend on the Wattage that your speakers accept. Also the resistance of the speakers, the sensitivity (db)and the frequency range are important. In general, however, it can be said that too little power is more likely to cause problems than too much power. So make sure you have (more than) enough power to control your speakers. In addition, as we always indicate, it is very important that you listen to different receivers or amplifiers and get advice at the same time. Each product has its own characteristics, possibilities and limitations, and if you want to do it well, listening is a must.