Klipsch B20 kerfuffle

[StubbedBrain]

Okay, so I just picked up these little rear-ported bookshelf jobbies for next to nothing on the CL, with the assumption that the information I found on them was correct in that their peak power is right around 300W with 85W RMS being standard load. I found an official-looking sticker on the back saying Max input power: 75W. I have an Onkyo TX-108 receiver that pumps out 100W/channel. Is this a recipe for disaster? They sound fine with the volume nob at about a 3, but I'm a little scared to crank it to my optimal level of enjoyment. Any help/ideas/insight?

 

[rotelrx503]

How loud would you crank it? It’s all about self control, I’m running a tiny pair of jamo speakers rated at 50rms with a 150wpc integrated amp.

 

[StubbedBrain]

How loud would you crank it? It’s all about self control, I’m running a tiny pair of jamo speakers rated at 50rms with a 150wpc integrated amp.

I don't think I've ever had the dial past the 10 o'clock position with any of my speakers, but I'm not accustomed to all the conflicting specs. Do I trust the sticker on the back, or the specs on the website and numerous reviews? I was under the impression that Klipsch's could handle quite a bit of juice, but I know that the synergy was a budget line. Anyone own a pair of these? My curiosity is piqued.

 

[Grenadeslio]

Okay, so I just picked up these little rear-ported bookshelf jobbies for next to nothing on the CL, with the assumption that the information I found on them was correct in that their peak power is right around 300W with 85W RMS being standard load. I found an official-looking sticker on the back saying Max input power: 75W. I have an Onkyo TX-108 receiver that pumps out 100W/channel. Is this a recipe for disaster? They sound fine with the volume nob at about a 3, but I'm a little scared to crank it to my optimal level of enjoyment. Any help/ideas/insight?

I have my Jamos rated for 150watts connected to a power amp with 400watts per channel, they sound great. Go ahead and crank the volume the speaks will let you know when too much is just that.

 

[Grenadeslio]

I don't think I've ever had the dial past the 10 o'clock position with any of my speakers, but I'm not accustomed to all the conflicting specs. Do I trust the sticker on the back, or the specs on the website and numerous reviews? I was under the impression that Klipsch's could handle quite a bit of juice, but I know that the synergy was a budget line. Anyone own a pair of these? My curiosity is piqued.

Trust the manufacturer, I believe they know their products. Klipsch are very sensitive speakers, at your normal 10:00 position they'll most likely be louder than the speaks you're accustomed to. And about that, the 10:00 position on your amp is most likely less than 10watts so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[swechsler]

Power ratings on consumer speakers should be taken with a shaker of salt. There's no standard for them, and just because your amp is capable of producing, say, 100 watts per channel, that doesn't mean that you're ever going to use that much. In fact, sending a constant 100 watts to your speakers would likely introduce lots of distortion due to peaks (unless the only music you listen to consists of constant-level sine waves) and would also be way too loud in most rooms. Most decent quality speakers built since the 1970s should be able to handle any reasonable load you can throw at them. Just don't use them for sound reinforcement or maximum SPL contests and you should be fine.

 

[StubbedBrain]

Power ratings on consumer speakers should be taken with a shaker of salt. There's no standard for them, and just because your amp is capable of producing, say, 100 watts per channel, that doesn't mean that you're ever going to use that much. In fact, sending a constant 100 watts to your speakers would likely introduce lots of distortion due to peaks (unless the only music you listen to consists of constant-level sine waves) and would also be way too loud in most rooms. Most decent quality speakers built since the 1970s should be able to handle any reasonable load you can throw at them. Just don't use them for sound reinforcement or maximum SPL contests and you should be fine.

Good to know. Haven't quite decided if I'm keeping these guys or not. Certainly a different sound than my CSW ensembles. Those horn tweeters take some getting used to, but I guess any speakers do. Somebody mentioned on here that Klipsch's should never be paired with a Yamaha amp due to fatiguing treble, but what about a Technics Sa-310? My dad has some tin ears, but I have a hard time letting him listen to the American Acoustics speakers I gave him a few years ago. He deserves better.