help needed - sony SSF6000 speakers

[admin_exported]

Hi i am thinking about getting the sony SSF6000 speakers:

Sony SSF6000 4-Way Floor Standing Speaker: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

i know they are cheap, but they will do me fine. however im bit confused about the amp i need. i have an old 5.1 Philips FR984 amp. it says on the back that each speaker output > 6ohms.

the amp when bought was 350 total watt output, so i suppose this means that the its not very powerfull. but will it still be ok to use with the sony speaker untill i can afford a decent amp.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Those Amazon specs are a bit all over the place, but I think the Sony speakers will be fine with your current amp, at least in electrical terms.

Heard a pair of the prototype precursors of these a couple of years back at Sony in Japan, and they were a bit 'ho hum', to say the least. I think these are a cost-cut version of the ones I heard.

 

[Anonymous]

i just been reading around, still very confused into how an amp can damage speakers. is there certain no no's e.g 4 ohm amp and 8 ohms speakers ?

also can you recomend any cheap amps that will power these fine, i dont wont to play them really loud.

 

[Andrew Everard]

You're most likely to damage speakers by trying to drive them to high levels with an amp that's struggling to do so. It literally clips off the extremes of the audio waveform, creating distortion, and this can damage the electrical voice coils in the speaker drivers, most commonly the hair-fine windings in the tweeter coil.

The lower the impedance of the speakers, the more - in very rough terms - they suck power out of the amplifier, and if the amp power supplies can't replace that energy as fast as it's flowing out, you can hit problems.

Your Philips should drive the Sony speakers, no probs - it says it will drive speakers of 6ohm impedance or greater, and the Sony speakers are 8ohms, and of reasonably high sensitivity. They're designed to be easy to drive.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for your help.

if the speakers are 180w output would this amp power them ok, or is it not going to be powerful enough.

im a bit worried becuase it does not say the ohms in the spec

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pioneer-A-109-40w-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00005OOJF/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1256595721&sr=1-1-fkmr0

 

[matthewpiano]

Have you looked at any alternative speakers?

There are some great deals around on Wharfedale Diamond 9.1s if you don't mind smaller speakers.

I think its a case of buy the Sonys now, upgrade the amp at some point and then upgrade the speakers again, or buy some more highly regarded speakers now and then upgrade the amp to get the best out of them.

I know which way I'd go.

 

[Anonymous]

im happy with starting with sonys. im just hoping i that my 5.1 will sound ok untill i get a better one. i dont wont to blast the music

 

[Craig M.]

if you're dead set on the sonys for some reason, that's fair enough. i think though the general gist of andrew and matthews comments are you could get a lot better for the same money.

the volume you want to listen at isn't really that relevant, the wharfedales mentioned would probably sound better at all volumes.

not what you originally asked but.....

 

[Andrew Everard]

tedglen2:thanks for your help.
if the speakers are 180w output would this amp power them ok, or is it not going to be powerful enough.

The 180W figure on the speakers isn't their output, but their maximum power handling.

The minimum power requirement figure is of more relevance here, for the reasons I explained above, and the Pioneer's 40W, which is quoted into an 8ohm load, will be more than adequate for the Sony speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

can someone explain. the Pioneer's 40W amp, does that mean its only outing putting 40w to the speaker and the speaker can handle 180w ?

sorry im a newb

 

[ear]

those sonys sound quite good actually , any amp that can connect 4 to 8 ohm speakers will be fine...pioneer a209r a little better not much power but vry nice sound

 

[Andrew Everard]

tedglen2:can someone explain. the Pioneer's 40W amp, does that mean its only outing putting 40w to the speaker and the speaker can handle 180w ?
sorry im a newb

Yes, and no need to apologise - we take all this stuff for granted, but I can see how it can be confusing. Rest assured the Pioneer will drive the Sony speakers perfectly well.

 

[Anonymous]

is a 40w output ok to fill a room with music ?

also can any one else recommend any cheap floor standing speakers that are better

 

[Andrew Everard]

Depends on the room size, but yes should be more than adequate with speakers of this sensitivity, and I don't know of any comparable speakers for this kind of money.

 

[matthewpiano]

Actually, no. If you have your heart set on floorstanders at that price I think you'd struggle to do better. They aren't bad by any stretch of the imagination. I just think a pair of £100-£150 stand mounts will sound better.

40 watts is more than enough to fill a room with sound. You'll probably never go beyond about 10 o'clock on the volume dial.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for all the help tonight people

 

[Anonymous]

one last question.

do you think these will be better

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/4205

 

[Andrew Everard]

I would expect them to be on a par with the Sony speakers, but they have lower sensitivity and impedance, so I'd probably stick with plan A

 

[ear]

the ssf6000 are very composed even by floorstander comparison.I didn.t get a pais because sudenly the price increased and the buit quality..hum...cable posts on the back where already broken

 

[Anonymous]

Does anyknone know whether denon dm37 (30w amplifier) would be able to drive the sony ssf600 speakers?

 

[the record spot]

Actually, forget the Wharfeys from Superfi, get these Q Acoustics for £20 more instead - very decent speakers from a great and fairly recent UK company with a good pedigree, the 1030i floorstander.

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/3866

Better still, get onto Ebay and snap these Mission 752 Freedoms up on a £150 Buy-It-Now - they'll blow the rest out the water and then some. £650 in their day and they'll withstand an upgrade or two as you improve the rest of your hifi over time.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mission-752-Freedom-Speakers_W0QQitemZ290372664427QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers?hash=item439b8f3c6b#ht_500wt_1182