An air raid siren, of course, what a fine addition that would make. However, that is on the back burner as it is a bit pricey...

I had to send the cambridge soundworks speakers back, so I am back to the "old" system

Polk RTi 6's (2) 125 watt rating per speaker
Polk Rt 15's rear (2) 100 watt rating per speaker
Infinity center channel cc-1 (1) ( sounds great btw) 80 watt rating per speaker

This question is kinda off topic now, but a pair of m200's for the 2 polks ( which are rated at 125 watts ) seems a bit like overkill. I was actually beginning to think of a 7100 for the setup, as the ratings on the speakers is for recommended amplifier power. Opinions/ideas?

I also would like to thank everyone who has responded to this post, you have all been very helpful indeed, and I apologize for the length that this post has grown to!

It would be fine to put 200's on the Polks (the extra power provides extra headroom), but the 7100 could be a way to get the benefits of separate amplification all the way around.

Oh, and no need to apologize for the length of the thread - we've kicked around some good stuff here.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

Thanks again, gonk.

Regarding the M200's, does anyone know how near they can be to a tv? Tv is a flat screen CRT type.

Thanks,

Bob045

Just noticed something of concern. The power requirements of all the amps (except the M200) are 115VAC +/- 3% or 111.55-118.45 VAC. Is this correct? 115VAC seems a bit odd, I would have thought it should be 120VAC +/- 3%. The M200 Spec for power requirement is not on the website.

But the manuals do indeed say 120VAC +/- 3% ( including the M200 ). My voltage is 120.7 to 121 according to the DMM. Has anyone else noticed this discrepancy?

Out of curiousity, which is correct, the manual or the website? ( Personally, I would believe the manual. but thought I would ask )

No need to worry, and in my experience both are equally correct. 120V and 115V (and 110V) are basically the same, because our electrical distribution system allows for a certain amount of variation. It's just like when I schedule commercial HVAC equipment - 460V and 480V are both used interchangeably.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

i, on the other hand, would be hesitant to pair an m200 with a speaker rated to handle only 125wts. especially if its a polk, because they are known for overrating their power handling capabilities a bit. while a 200wt amp only running at 100wts does provide more headroom and better quality than a 100wt amp wide open, you can blow your speakers if you overdrive them. 100wts coming from a 100wt amp is much more damaging for your speakers than 100wts from a 200wt amp tho. so i guess, my hesitation comes from knowing the limit of where you can go as far cranking it up. if you can control yourself and not crank it up "as loud as it can go", then by all means it will be great, but i like to see what my gear can actually take vs what it says it can (within some moderation mind you). just keep that in mind if you have an amp that is more powerful than your speakers.

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Bob:
I just saw your question. The answer is yes, I have all 3 M200 plugged into a dedicated 20 amp outlet(pair).

[This message has been edited by Roland (edited August 02, 2004).]

Others that know more, please feel free to correct me, but . . .

I always thought that CLEAN power was ok for speakers, it was DIRTY power that killed speakers.

So if you had 200WPC CLEAN hooked up to a speaker rated at 125WPC, you would be ok, but if you took an 80 WPC amp, and clipped the heck out of it, it could hurt the speaker.

I think that within reason you are correct. While it is possible to take a 200W amp and blow a speaker that's rated for 125W if you crank it up loud enough, I've also been under the impression that it is typically easier to blow the same speaker by pushing too hard with an undersized amp.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

Power is power. Too much is too much. If you fully clip a 100 watt amp then it will send 200 watts to the speaker. IIRC, the RMS rating of a speaker should be the amount of power it can take for 8 hours. Not sure if everyone abides by that though. For short bursts they can take more. For HT, I am not sure if that rating is thermal only or applies to excursion as well. Don't forget that music is dynamic. Even if you actually do send a full signal it won't be for very long at all.

If the speaker is rated right he should be fine.