Question: Will you help me pass this idea on to the manufacturers of home theater surround sound receivers & amplifiers?

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Answer #1:

Receivers and pre/pros I have experience with do not output to the channels that are not in use, they might be on with a nominal voltage applied internally but they are not working drawing tons of current as if they were in use with a load connected. I have a Belkin power center that shows the amount of current I use in my HT. With my 7.1 Processor on and 2 Parasound amps (350w @ 4ohm each) for my front L/R speakers in use and playing at a pretty good volume the ammeter barely hits 3 amps, so even thought I have a potential of 700watts to ouput with these amplifiers, I never come close to using it, i am only using 360watts between the 2 amps and the processor, so your statement about using 1000 watts whenever your 5.1 receiver and sub are in use is not correct - unless you have them all at max volume.

Answer #2:

If I'm reading correctly you have a receiver that only plays in stereo mode, and still pushes power out to everything else, but want something to give you pure direct for your 2-channel listening. Meaning, to pull all power from everything and push only to the left and right speakers, dedicating the amp fully to those two speakers.

If you get into Denon and Yamaha receivers you can find exactly what you are looking for. They have pure direct modes on them, easily switched over either on the receiver itself or the remote. They shut down all power to the other 5 channels and even to the parts of the receiver that aren't in use and dedicate the amp's full power to the front speakers.

The models with this feature: Denon AVR1610 and above. The Yamaha RX-V665 model and above.

Pioneer also has a pure direct mode on their Elite model receivers, but they keep power on the unused portions of the amp, like the front display.

Answer #3:

If amplifiers operated the way you think they do, they wouldn't be very pratical to use. My 2 channel stereo only system(no surround sound) is 2530 watts rms. Peak power would be double that. That's how many watts of output power(not power consumption) it is capable of producing. Output power and power consumption are two different things. Amplifiers require power in order to put out power. Since they are not 100% efficient, whatever they don't turn into output power gets converted into their waste byproduct in the form of heat. That's why they need heat sinks. When you listen to 2 channel stereo on a surround sound receiver, the other channels are OFF because there is no signal being fed to those inputs in the amplifier section therefore there is no output from those channels. No input=No output. What determines your system's power consumption, aside from what the electronics consume at idle which is next to nothing, is the position of the volume and the music that you are listening to. The louder you play the system, the more power it consumes. At a normal(moderate) listening volume a typical receiver is using about a tenth of a watt in power. In order to increase the volume by 3dB you have to DOUBLE the amplifier power. It takes an increase of 10dB for the human ear to perceive a doubling of loudness. For a typical system, whenever you listen at a volume of 90 dB(LOUD) your amplifier is putting out about 1 watt of power. 93dB would require 2 watts, 96dB would require 4 watts, 99dB would require 8 watts, 102dB would require 16 watts, 105dB would require 32 watts, and so on. Get it? Keep in mind that speakers have efficiency ratings also. For example, a typical speaker efficiency rating might look like this: 90dB/1W/1M. This translates to the speaker being able to play at a loudness of 90dB given a 1 watt input(@ 8 ohms) and measured at a distance of 1 meter. To make a long story short, Amplifier designers know what they're doing so you don't need to worry about paying for power that you're not using. You're only paying for power that you ARE using. Your electric dryer, toaster, and electric stove use WAY more power because they are being used to produce nothing but heat.

Answer #4:

The idle channels are using a negligible amount of power. Take a look at the back of your amplifier. There will be a rated power consumption printed in watts. This is the MAXIMUM power the unit will use when playing at maximum volume on all channels. At other times, it will use less power, because you are demanding less of it. The same goes for a powered subwoofer. In fact, most subs have a signal-sensing design which shuts them off when there is no signal going to them. At that time, the power consumption would be akin to what your TV or microwave oven consumes when not in use, perhaps 5 watts.

Think of these units as being like a car. A car only uses gas according to how fast you want to go. If you just sit idling, a tank of gas will last for days.

Answer #5:

What you say is equivalent to saying that when you have your amp on, but there is no sound, your amp consumes as much power as when it is on.
Or having your volume at 10 consumes as much power as having your volume to 1. Well, you are wrong.

If there is no input to an amp stage (as in stereo mode, there is no input in channels 3-9), there is no amplification, and no energy consumed. If you don't amplify a signal. you spend no energy on that channel. Nothing to worry about.





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