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Is a Denon 5803 too much for B&W CDM 1NT's?

I have just recently really taken up getting into my system. Over the last few months I have been through a whole bunch of different equiptment some of which I really have liked and others I haven't. My question is, I now am running B&W CDM-1NT's as my mains along with a M&K subwoofer. I have been using a Denon 4802R for the last two years with no problems what-so-ever. I recently purchased a Denon 5803 to give it a shot. I figued that it has some of the features that the 4802 doesn't have, which I might enjoy....But is this too much power for the cdm's? They have a raiting of 120 watts, while the denon 5803 puts out a whole 170 watts. Is this just going to give me more headroom, or should I really worry about damaging the speakers.

Thanks for any assistance you can give. I will appreciate anything you can offer. I have been looking for information regarding this topic on the forum, but have not found anything that really addresses this specific question.

Ben
bearotti
audiobugged
528 posts
 
Seek harder and you will find! Look for "Clipping", & get a grasp on it's meaning. You will not harm the Cdm-1nt's with a few extra Denon wpc's. Your Avr-4802 is spec'd at 120 wpc, yet it will go to 168 wpc prior to clipping. The Bowers will eat up 170 wpc, 250wpc, & I have driven some with well over 600wpc's with no issues. They actually enjoy a steady diet of some real juice, they will really open up. In the words of a wise man... "Don't Worry, Be Happy", and don't loose any sleep over the speakers maximum power rating. As you will read you could actually damage them with too little power... Read On, Learn, & Enjoy!

Just to be safe, I would however duck for cover the first time you power up the Cdm-1nt's with the Avr-5803... I'm Only Kidding! ;0)~ Good Luck!
bearotti OP
164 posts
 
Thanks Audiobugged, I have read on some of the threads by searching "too much power" where others have said that the more the better for the b&w's too. Thanks for the info about the amp section on my receivers...I didn't know this info! Thanks for the advice! Ben
chadnliz
3,736 posts
 
There is no such thing as too much power, most times its is the amps fault when spEAkers blow, CLIPPING KILLS
joeylawn36111
574 posts
 
Audiobugged, you answered my question also. I am getting a Monster 2250 power amp, and was thinking about B&W's. Thanks
gonglee3
304 posts
 
It's not a problem. In fact, you can damage speakers with too little power - because of distortion.

There is not too much of a noticeable difference until power is doubled - in the future, you might want to try a different brand of amp to really upgrade the sound. For music, going separate pre and power amp will give you a better performance. For movies, the denon is ok. Music sounds pretty good too, but for the next upgrade, I would add a dedicated music system, if you should desire a better sounding music setup.
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