I have the 950/770 combo and I am running the Polks RTI12's. I am not using my 6 and 7 channels, so I used those channels to double the power on the mains (400 watts per speaker). I used the y-splitter on the processor inputs for the left and right fronts. My question, is there a way to check to see if I am correctly getting all 400 watts per speaker. I can hear a diff. but I just want to be certain that everything is fine.

There is no way using your speakers that you can determine the power you are delivering from the power amps. To do that, you would need a dummy load resistor rated for the total amount of power from your power amp, an ocilloscope to monitor the waveform, and an AC voltmeter to measure the voltage. In any event, 400 watts is way overkill, and a level you will never need to use.

The polk RTI12's are rated at 50-500 watts per speaker. I would say the 400 watts per speaker is just right, not overkill. Even though i am not the person to crank the shit out of it, I wanted the extra power for better imaging. I will not run 7.1 surround until it becomes a preferred format, if it ever gets to that point. I had two extra channels and wanted to feed the power to the mains like they were intended.

i just hope you dont ever try to give 400watts to those polks :-). i have been a longtime polk fan, but you should know that they historically OVERRATE their power handling capabilities. and besides that what the hell are you doing with 400watts anyway, you must live in bfe.

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Even at what you would think as extreme volume levels, I would be very surprised to measure more than about 100 watts or so being delivered to your Polks. Speakers nowdays are far more efficient than they were in the days of stereo-only reproduction where it would not be unusual for a speaker to consume 200-300 watts on peaks, especially with music that contains a lot of bass.

Believe me, you are not going to need anywhere near 400 watts with your Polks unless you don't care about blowing them up, or are deaf, or both.

If I understand the information available at the Polk website, and if you are bi-amping in the normal fashion (for each RTi12, one 770 output feeding the bass section, another 770 output feeding the mids and highs), while you would have ‘400 watts’ total available, the most either section would receive is ‘200 watts.’ (I assume that you are not joining or bridging the outputs of the 770 and feeding each Rti12 with an electrically combined single signal.)

I would think the difference one hears with proper bi-amping is better control of the drivers by the amp and less passive crossover interaction.

Guys,
I talked to Steve this morning and he is very helpful. I brought back the cables and went back with my biwires. I am only feeding the towers 200 watts a piece now. I was wanting to see if it made a huge diff, using the 400 watts per speaker. Needless to say, it didn't. I outweighed my choices, go with biamping the front or running a 7.1 surround. I do 90% movies and 10% music. I am still learning fellows and with people like Outlaw, it makes it easy. Thanks for all the responses.

This is the first time I've ever seen this. How does more power equate to better imaging?