Ack! Mired in Amp-Land!

[drosophila]

I'm plotting a new home theater setup and could use some help. Time and again throughout my research, i'm hitting a roadblock on the amplification side. Speakers are 4 Epos M5's (4 ohm - to be used as fronts/rear surrounds) and an M8 center (8 ohm). I'll be honest - my difficulty is largely my own naivete, so i'm hoping someone can steer me in the right direction.

Basically, I just need a good 5.1 or 6.1 power amp for these watt-sucking speakers. Source components include a Toshiba SD-4900 DVD, Cambridge 640C CD player, Rega P3 turntable, and PlayStation 2. We're trying to find something that will deliver warm and euphonic sound, with nice dips into the detailed and transparent side. Musically, kinda off-kilter experimental-electronic, dark ambient, power electronics, etc. If these are a little unfamiliar, think of Kraftwerk or John Zorn being fed through a feedback generator

Anyway, i'm flat-out lost. Specs from Epos state power handling is 100w @ 4 ohm nominal, amp compatibility of 25-100w, and sensitivity of 87dB. I understand all of this in a general sense, but i'm not sure how literally to take it. Thus far, i'm freaked out into thinking that I really do have to find an amp that'll do 5 channels at 100w @ 4 ohms, but it can't exceed 100. Frankly, between grazing Arcam, Rotel, and Integra equipment, i'm about ready to give up and look for different speakers (though I *really* like these).

Help a guy out?!

[junior77blue]

There isn't a problem with going ABOVE the recommended wattage. Just be carefull with the volume control. If they ever start to distort (It would be really loud) than dial it back. 150W range @ 4 ohms is what I would recommend...if your just purely looking at numbers.

[jimmyp58]

More wattage is better; less wattage causes distortion which causes speaker damage.

[htsteve]

Amp Land

drosophila,

I agree with the posts below. More clean watts is rarely a problem. I have a similar situation as you. I have B&W Nautilus 804's and HTM1 in the front and large dipole B&W's in the rear. The Nautilus are definitely power hungry. The amp power rating on these is 50-200W. I have a Rotel RMB-1095 5 channel amp at 200wpc. I also know the 1095's actual output is about 230 wpc (my dealer bench tested it for me). I've been told Rotels amp ratings tend to be conservative. I know the RMB-1075 is rated at 120 wpc for five channels (at 8 ohm). This amp might work for your set-up. If you are able to demo these units (or other units) from your dealer, that will help you evaluate. Hope this helps.

[drosophila]

Thanks a lot for the responses, guys... you've all helped ease my concerns quite a bit, and confirmed a few things I was fairly certain would work out.

We're not loudness-fiends, particularly since we're in an apartment. Now I just have to narrow my choices down and try to keep within a realistic budget. I'm really starting to lean towards seperates, but the Rotel RSX-1056 or Integra DTR-6.5 seem like they might drive them relatively well. Whatever the choice, the M5's are set for bi-wiring. I can't even describe how anxious I am to start getting things put together! Moving from a Sony STR-DE825 from about 6 years ago to...well, just about anything, should be a nice improvement.

One thing i'm curious about, though: A few people have mentioned that some components have a 4 ohm/8 ohm switch, as my current receiver has. Most of what i've seen indicates that you should keep it set to 8 ohm, regardless of speaker impedance, but is this accurate?