Is my vintage receiver underpowered for JBL speakers?

[freddyfred82]

Hello all,

I'm tempted to buy these JBL 4313b's for $1,500.

My 1972 Sony STR-7065 is rated at 60 W per channel. The JBL monitor states, "40 W continuous sine wave power."

Is my receiver powerful enough for these speakers?

Thank you in advance for anyone who can help.

 

[crazy-in-az]

I believe a classic Sony like that should be a good match for those JBLs. Are those the actual speakers in the pics? They look very clean and in great condition!

 

[freddyfred82]

I believe a classic Sony like that should be a good match for those JBLs. Are those the actual speakers in the pics? They look very clean and in great condition!

Thanks for the input. Yea! Those are the actual pictures. Ima hear them later on today and hopefully make a deal.

 

[SB12345]

These JBL's will work just fine with your receiver. Plenty of power. They look great. I hope the price is right so you get 'em.

 

[onwardjames]

I've been lucky enough to own many of the 100+ wpc receivers.

That very Sony was my favorite, despite being only 60wpc.

If the first watt sucks, what good are 159 more?

You should be fine, good luck!

 

[freddyfred82]

These JBL's will work just fine with your receiver. Plenty of power. They look great. I hope the price is right so you get 'em.

Good to hear! Price is a bit high, but I think they will be worth it.

 

[freddyfred82]

I've been lucky enough to own many of the 100+ wpc receivers.

That very Sony was my favorite, despite being only 60wpc.

If the first watt sucks, what good are 159 more?

You should be fine, good luck!

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. This Sony sounds quite good to me too. Gotta' pair it with some equally good speakers and these JBL's fit the bill.

 

[ConradH]

JBLs are usually efficient. I think you'll have plenty of power.

 

[Fafaafooie]

I used to collect vintage receivers because let's face it they look cool on the shelf and sound pretty good.

Then I discovered 250 wpc and have never even thought about buying another Marantz or Yamaha classic.

No one says you have to use all that power but it's better to have and not need than to need and not have, just like a gun... Headroom rules!

Go buy a cheap Adcom 200 wpc amp and matching pre and hook up those JBL's and you will hear a massive difference.

I have JBL 250 TI and sound quality starts to dive below 200wpc. They sounds good with 125wpc but they sound amazing at 250.

But I'd buy as much power as you can afford, get past the aesthetics of the vintage receivers which are better off powering a bedroom or garage unit than your main system.

But we all know what opinions are like... But I was you once

 

[freddyfred82]

I used to collect vintage receivers because let's face it they look cool on the shelf and sound pretty good.

...get past the aesthetics of the vintage receivers which are better off powering a bedroom or garage unit than your main system.

But we all know what opinions are like... But I was you once

Man...you really nailed it. I'm building my system around the look, rather than the sound, I suppose - although this unit sounds quite good. This was the reality check I was anticipating. Well... my listening area isn't that big (about 12 X 20 ft) so maybe I should stay where I'm at.

If I do decide to power the JBL's with my receiver in the meantime, can I damaged the speakers?

 

[Fafaafooie]

Man...you really nailed it. I'm building my system around the look, rather than the sound, I suppose - although this unit sounds quite good. This was the reality check I was anticipating. Well... my listening area isn't that big (about 12 X 20 ft) so maybe I should stay where I'm at.

If I do decide to power the JBL's with my receiver in the meantime, can I damaged the speakers?

Not really. Maybe if you blare them constantly but at full blast... at 60wpc you are into some distortion for sure, but I am not an expert by any stretch.

I just learned by trying different things and I lucked into a great 250wpc Butler hybrid tube amp and bought a cheap Adcom pre and was blown away by the sound difference and slowly sold my remaining receivers. My last Yamaha CR2040 was sold a month or two ago. I used that as my Pre for a while and just got a Yamaha CX1000 to replace it.

Here is an option to keep your aesthetic and get more power. And I learned this trick right here on Audiokarma and I thought I knew everything about classic receivers...

If your current receiver or any receiver has a "Pre Out" RCA plugs on the back you can use that receiver as your Preamp and connect any amp you want to it... thus keeping your Look your are going for.

Is your receiver going to sound as good as a dedicated Preamp... NO it will not, but it will still sound pretty darn good just louder and clearer most likely.

But again I'm just a 2 channel stereo nerd with two ears not an audiphile whatever that is.

 

[homebrew]

Adequate as long as you don't listen at concert hall levels. Over driving your receiver can result in blown speaker drivers, so prudence is essential.

 

[mortron]

While sensitive enough for 40w, my experience tells me JBLs are happy being fed gobs of power with lots of headroom to be had. Manydrive JBLs with big amps. For best bang I go pro. Even my 1990s JBL L5 Towers I've driven with a Yamaha P2250 and a Crown XLS1500, and while my small 50wpc amp will drive them, there is no comparison.

 

[onwardjames]

Gotta chime in here.

First, that Sony is more than capable with OP's current setup and room.
Second, the DECIBEL level one enjoys matters quite a bit. For me, I tend to listen below 80dbs, usually around 70 to 75.

Those extra watts are nice, but completely useless if you don't turn the volume knob up much.

Also, that Sony has pre outs. And as a pre, the Sony sounds good. I used it that way with my 200wpc Yamaha amp many years ago.

 

[donprice]

I'm with James on this one. However, adding a quality subwoofer can do wonders to get a thunderous bottom end without over-driving the Sony or risking damage to the JBLs. Just something to think about if you find yourself wanting more

 

[twiiii]

Most Professional JBL speakers can handle 6 db more peak power than RMS power. The issue becomes how long can the speaker continue to handle those peaks. Speakers built to day almost for ever. Speakers built back in the days of the JBLs mentioned not for as long of period. How long? Look the Published speck sheet for your speaker by JBL. It will usually specify the peak capability and for how long.

In this case JBL does not. The Sonly shouldn't cause any issues unless you push the amp into hard clipping which will destroy tweeters. The speaker is designed for "small" rooms, and with only a 10 inch woofer I would not want to push it. That said, I have speakers with the same efficiency and they play damn loud with 60 watts each for peaks at 14 feet listening distance.

 

[goodolpg]

Man...you really nailed it. I'm building my system around the look, rather than the sound, I suppose - although this unit sounds quite good. This was the reality check I was anticipating. Well... my listening area isn't that big (about 12 X 20 ft) so maybe I should stay where I'm at.

If I do decide to power the JBL's with my receiver in the meantime, can I damaged the speakers?

You can damage speakers with most any receiver.
Common sense can go far in preventing it.
Sound distorted, turn it down.
Receiver running real hot, turn it down.

 

[HPMguy]

Since I personally very rarely use more than a watt or two, you should have more than enough power. No interest in hearing damage at this house.

 

[onwardjames]

I'm with James on this one. However, adding a quality subwoofer can do wonders to get a thunderous bottom end without over-driving the Sony or risking damage to the JBLs. Just something to think about if you find yourself wanting more

While not germane to whether the Sony has the guts to handle those JBL's (it does, within reason) I will state that Don is right about adding the sub to lessen the load, in not one but two ways.

I have a pair of Ergo F Cantons....tiny speakers no larger than a shoebox. Never impressed me.......until I paired with a sub. Not even a great sub, a cheap KLH I had laying around.

Not only did the amp get less work (KLH has built in plate amp) but the Canton's, liberated from the grunt work below 100 hz now became absolutely magical.

So, that knife cuts two ways. The amp has less to do on the highs, and the speakers tend to be quite better, as they're not sharing watts with the low end.

My experiences, and opinions, nothing more. Hope to hear you get these JBL's home and are pleased. Keep us posted!

 

[z-adamson]

I used to collect vintage receivers because let's face it they look cool on the shelf and sound pretty good.

Then I discovered 250 wpc and have never even thought about buying another Marantz or Yamaha classic.

No one says you have to use all that power but it's better to have and not need than to need and not have, just like a gun... Headroom rules!

Go buy a cheap Adcom 200 wpc amp and matching pre and hook up those JBL's and you will hear a massive difference.

I have JBL 250 TI and sound quality starts to dive below 200wpc. They sounds good with 125wpc but they sound amazing at 250.

But I'd buy as much power as you can afford, get past the aesthetics of the vintage receivers which are better off powering a bedroom or garage unit than your main system.

But we all know what opinions are like... But I was you once

I am with this guy.

Once you go big, you never go back to the small amps. It's not about listening louder and louder, it's about the headroom and how certain kinds of music, particularly very dynamic music, benefits from it.