We have 65” television with a Sonos soundbar. Television to us I’d generally a distraction, not an event, so our setup satisfies ouR needs without breaking the bank or taking over the room. I do like the Sonos products but don’t go overboard. Their lower end stuff works great.

I used to have 12 of those 12” GTI woofers in a 2007 HHR panel with 3 JBL/Crown 2000watt amps. Too much bass, lol, but it was fun.

I like the hands on approach you have with the audio. Very cool.

Can't have too much power. I don't think you're getting near what you could out of those speakers. More power = more dynamic. It's not all about volume.

I bet the lone ranger theme is awesome on that!

Old school, circa 1985.

Back in my car audio days I would always double the max RMS for any speakers I installed. They’d blow every few years but sounded awesome! I always tell people “fewer speakers, more watts”.

I’ve got a big budget. This is for cinema and music. For my living room.
Like the Sonos wireless idea but my question is, without a receiver, will it do true surround sound where it modulates certain speakers for certain a sounds and volumes,
Like a receiver regulates?

I’m leaning towards the Sono 5.1 but am thinking I need a receiver for true surround sound modulation.

Don’t know about the Sonos; but the paired Echo Studio wireless speakers run through a room sound check when you first set them up. They send different sounds into the room for about twenty seconds, then modulate their response to produce simulated Dolby Atmos 3D surround

Again, this set up necessitates a Fire Cube to modulate the speaker pair.
You can have one speaker and not the Cube.
There is also a subwoofer, but my better half didn’t want it, and she doesn’t need it for her Lifetime Hallmark viewing

I was very skeptical and laughed at the speaker size; but, I have to admit they sound very good for what they are.

More power is good, too much is better....

Considering the speakers are 97 db efficiency, I do not need much power. I did run the numbers through spl calculations. Dolby recommends that a system be able to handle 105 db peaks for proper performance. My calculations show I can sustain 105 db with the power that I have and not stress the main amp.

Running the Audyssey makes me trim the sub amp way down, but I do run it a little hot. As well as shaking the door (and other things), it can make your pants legs vibrate nicely as well.

NO I do not listen to it that loud normally. On the Marantz dial, I keep it around -18 db.

But the reality starts with I had the Sherbourn amp (the amp for the mains) sitting unused for a couple of years. Also, more amp power than I have right now would have required a new circuit for the power requirements.

However, if someone wants to spot me an amplifier with 400 watts for each of the 9 channels, I'll see if it really pops the breaker or drive me out of the room.

Rock on!

As long as you don't clip. I've run more than rated on a lot of speakers and blown one. I've blown a LOT of speakers when underpowered.

It's just my personal opinion but sensitivity ratings can't be trusted. Your speakers are also rated for 500 watts. Accurate? IDK much about the brand, but 70 watts isn't much.

This is my philosophy and the reason for my interest in professional power.

I am not near clipping on either amp.

The design specs for Dolby surround sound is such that you should set up for 85 dB with peaks at 105 dB when you go to a theater this is what it is designed to perform. THX theaters are checked to ensure they meet these specs. That is the basis of where I started.

Imputing the speaker sensitivity at 97 dB (for the front/center/right) and my seating distance of 10 ft. I only need 50 watts to hit 105 dB. This also means that it only needs 1 watt to hit 85 dB at the listening position.

I have run the numbers for each of the speaker positions. I am no where near clipping the amp under normal conditions.

I actually listen with it below the “reference” level to start with.

Can I push the system to clip? Of course. Would it be rather loud? Of course.

The sub situation is different. I honestly have no idea of the sensitivity of the whole pile of 12’s. They are in sealed boxes. I also have the dsp adjusted on the sub amp. What I can say is that I have never seen the amp light up all of its level indicators.

I admit I do have a calibrated microphone and REW loaded up on the laptop, but I have yet to hook it up in the room.

Oh my car audio days were simple. Two 12” Cerwin Vegas in a little Mitsubishi regular cab pickup. A little Rockford Fosgate amp, audio control active crossover. The highs ran off a Harman Kardon amp Many many moons ago.

For those who are reading this maybe this will help you understand our discussion/concerns. If I was to substitute my speakers with one rated at only 89 dB sensitivity, I would need around 310 watts to hit the same sound level as I do now.

Speaker sensitivity, listening distance, amplifier power, and desired sound levels are all important parts of a good overall system design. Without knowing all of this, you are merely throwing darts at the wall and possibly spending money foolishly and ending up with something that sounds like [censored].

I agree 105db is enough for home theater. On the other hand, my speakers in my music listening area at home are rated for 122-126 db....and I wish I had more. That's 900 watts continuous on 3 speakers. 130 db is about concert level. That's my eventual goal.

Heck I'm running an amp that bench tested 1247 watts RMS on 2 Punch P3 10"'s sealed. Sealed takes a LOT of power. Also running about 650 watts on an RE SE 12" sub. Porting that box really woke it up and helped the lower frequencies.

Maybe I'll hit my heyday by 60 yo.


Ps- more power more pop. You'll feel it! Your set up is awesome. Just saying I think more power would put a BIG smile on your face.