Amplifier overheating
picturebox32
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ralphy33 Posted messages 307 Status Member -
ralphy33 Posted messages 307 Status Member -
Hello everyone,
Let me explain my problem: I bought an amplifier (a Panasonic VSX 521 with 1kHz, 1% THD, 6? and apparently a power of 130W per channel) and I connected this amp to two JBL speakers rated at 60/240W and 8 Ohms. On top of that, since it’s a 5.1 model, I added a second pair of SONY speakers rated at 80W and 6 Ohms.
So far, so good! (I really don’t know much about this field, especially regarding impedance)
And then I had the bright idea of adding as a center speaker: a big old KEF speaker (wattage and impedance unknown).
It worked for two days and then poof, overheating with normally loud sound!, it smelled like burnt plastic... in short, the amp is being repaired..
Now I finally come to the question: But why did it burn out?
I’m using simple copper wire with somewhat dubious connections, but until I connected the big speaker, there were no issues...
Faulty connection? Impedance too low?
Thank you in advance for your answers/ideas!
Let me explain my problem: I bought an amplifier (a Panasonic VSX 521 with 1kHz, 1% THD, 6? and apparently a power of 130W per channel) and I connected this amp to two JBL speakers rated at 60/240W and 8 Ohms. On top of that, since it’s a 5.1 model, I added a second pair of SONY speakers rated at 80W and 6 Ohms.
So far, so good! (I really don’t know much about this field, especially regarding impedance)
And then I had the bright idea of adding as a center speaker: a big old KEF speaker (wattage and impedance unknown).
It worked for two days and then poof, overheating with normally loud sound!, it smelled like burnt plastic... in short, the amp is being repaired..
Now I finally come to the question: But why did it burn out?
I’m using simple copper wire with somewhat dubious connections, but until I connected the big speaker, there were no issues...
Faulty connection? Impedance too low?
Thank you in advance for your answers/ideas!
5 answers
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Hello, an amp like this doesn't burn out like that, especially with "a big old speaker from the brand KEF (wattage and impedance unknown)." You have to be careful :) how big is the speaker (just the driver)?
With a bit of luck, the speaker had too much impedance; I have an old speaker at home that was 16 ohms, that's getting pretty high.
Imagine if you have a speaker like that with high power and high impedance, knowing that all your channels (or almost) were used (you also have to keep in mind that the amp should be more powerful than your speakers to work well and avoid burning it out). The amp works harder (you should know that an amp like that isn't designed to be pushed to the max continuously; it doesn't have enough fans compared to DJ or mobile disco sound amps, concerts...).
In conclusion, with all your speakers together and another questionable one, it's possible that it's the one that caused your amp to burn out.
It could also be the speaker's connection! It only takes the two wires to touch, and that creates little sparks you can't see from far away; the amp shorts out, and the amp burns out.
That's what I'd say. -
The big speaker should be 50 cm high, so 30 cm for the woofer
Can you tell me more about impedance? The higher the impedance, the better, or the opposite?
For a better central speaker, do I need to buy another one? How many Ohms?
In terms of wiring, what basic precautions should be taken?-
Sorry, there's a major bug on the site. I already told you everything about your amplifier, the impedance, etc.
Your impedance varies with your range of speakers. If you want to buy sound equipment, you’ll likely be running under 4 ohms, whereas for Hi-Fi, it's for small rooms and those are speakers quite sensitive to impedance. If you use 4-ohm speakers for Hi-Fi, you’ll have a very powerful sound but not very nice, at least not as nice as 6 and 8-ohm speakers.
Yes, buy a speaker but never second-hand!
Because you never know how the person used it :)
For the wiring, you need to use cables suitable for small speakers, red and black copper cable or black and white, and for large speakers, use Speakon cables. For speakers around 200 watts, use fairly thin cables and keep them as short as possible because the longer your cable is, the more loss you have. It's like electricity; when you pull an electrical cable for your house, if it’s more than 90 meters, you have losses. It's the same here, but you won't have 90 meters of cable :p
So, to be clear, if your cable is small and short, the less resistance you have, the more power you have. I've tested it myself ;) -
Thank you for all this information!
Regarding impedance, I think I understand! But I still wanted to know if speakers with low impedance might be prone to overheating (a friend told me he had this issue with 4.8 Ohm ones).
As for the cables, I was referring more to the protection because right now, they are small cables yes, but connected with connectors and I protect the ends a bit with black tape... I'm not sure if that's enough.. Regarding the length, it fits perfectly, I cut it myself!
Knowing more or less my setup, could you give me some advice on what you would change or what you would buy again? Like: Subwoofer, center speaker?
Knowing that I have a living room of 6x6 meters and I use the sound for both music and movies. ;) -
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Hello,
It's just a question of impedance.
A 5-channel amplifier must amplify 5 identical impedances to maintain "stability."
Power only refers to the maximum absorption that a speaker can handle, not the power it requires from the amp.
In hi-fi - home cinema, we talk about Efficiency; a 10-watt amp can drive 100-watt speakers as long as the efficiency exceeds 95dB. This 10-watt amp will output as much power with this combination as a 100-watt amp with 100-watt speakers and an efficiency of 85dB.
The power ratings given are marketing; typically, they do not exceed 35 watts RMS per channel at 4 ohms for high-end models, except for Harman Kardon, which doesn't cheat. Even in their entry-level, you can find 5x55 watts RMS at 8 ohms, with a power supply that does not accept other impedances - the failure on this brand is often "protect," which means the user did not connect 8-ohm speakers.
The Pioneer VSX-521 has a power supply rated at 415 watts, with average non-consumption losses by the amp at 30%. Additionally, there’s about -5% consumed by the audio processor, tuner, etc., which results in a maximum overall power of 26 watts RMS per channel at 6 ohms.
That’s quite decent for a 5.1 amp and generally sufficient in a large living room, depending on the efficiency of the speakers.
The maximum RMS watts is what the power supply can provide, not what the amp itself could actually deliver; transistors are often underpowered and can saturate at high volumes. -
Hi
here is picturebox32, check out sawsix's response, he seems to know more than I do ^^ indeed, watts don't mean much, as I was saying, if you take 4 ohms, you will put less strain on your amp than with 6 or 8 ohms, but according to what I hear, 4 ohm speakers at high volume have less clear and less beautiful sound!
for the large KEF, please try to find a photo or a reference on the internet
if you’re a fan of heavy bass, what I'm going to recommend might be a bit oversized :p
for the subwoofer, you can take a Magnat Omega 380
and take this http://www.hifissimo.com/enceinte-centrale-cabasse-socoa-mt31-wenge-35120-1.html place it above your TV preferably, so when you watch a movie you’ll feel like you’re in the cinema ^^
