2009 January | All Kinds of Pro Audio Equipment

Home Amplifier

January 31st, 2009 admin No comments

Home Amplifier
What is a good home amplifier in the 120W range?

I have a set of JBL HTI8 speakers rated to 120W per channel. I just bought an SVS powered sub. My current amplifier does not have a sub out plug on it so I need to get a new amp. I don't need anything fancy. A tuner would be nice to have built in. I can buy used off eaby also, I just need to know what brand of model would work. Should I go right up to 120W to fully power the HTI8s? Any help wold be great!

maninthemirror327 is right about amplifier watts. I will add though if you like to push your speakers as loud as they go, be sure the amplifier's watts RMS @ 20 Hz - 20 KHz per channel rating is 1.5 to 2 times higher than your speaker's watts RMS rating.

So assuming your speakers are rated 120 watts RMS (not peak, or max) you would want an amplifier rated between 180 watts RMS @ 20 Hz - 20 KHz per channel & 240 watts watts RMS @ 20 Hz - 20 KHz per channel. Make sure the amplifier is rated 0.05% THD @ 20 Hz - 20 KHz or lower, especially if you are going to be pushing your speakers as loud as they go. You are much more likely to damage your speakers under powering them, then you are over powering them. (Because you are more likely to cause the amplifier to clip the higher you turn up the amplifier's volume & the higher wattage the amplifier is the less you need to turn up the amplifier's volume knob.)

Whether you buy a low wattage amp, or a high wattage amp, you should buy an amp that's rated 0.05% THD @ 20 Hz - 20 KHz or lower. Never buy an amp that's rated 0.1% THD @ 20 Hz - 20 KHz or higher.

THD stands for Total Harmonic Distortion, distortion is more likely to damage your speakers than wattage & the higher the wattage of a distorted signal is the more likely it is that your speakers will be damaged.

Whatever you do, do not use a Y adapter to combine two channels into one to run your sub, doing so is asking for your amplifier, or your sub's amplifier, or both amplifiers needing costly repairs.