To answer fuzzymath10, LoveMachine, s44's question, let me provide a little background, I do not have a proper HT set up yet, its just computer, hooked up to a 47inch TV, initially I was using TV speakers only. One thing led to another and I ended up moving everything to a small room meant to be a study but now is a gym/den. Now I have my gaming machine too in that room and it has a 7.1 redneck sound system hooked up to it - quote from my post on another thread -
I messed up the Logitech X-230 during the move and one of the speakers is not working properly so its time to replace them anyways and I though of getting a pair of bookshelf speaker and an Amp, that's where my quest for amp began and I was not prepared for the high price of good amps, I though since there are lot of decent AVRs for under 500, I can get amps for cheaper than that, use it for 2 speakers only for now and down the line maybe get a preamp and use the HDMI and go professional. Second though was maybe to get a AVR with multichannel analog input, use it for front speaker only for now and later buy good speakers and use though HDMI. For now for just 2 speakers I guess I can do with any AVR as all of them have 3.5mm or RCA input, but I was thinking of upgrading the speakers one set at a time as money becomes available, stay with PC soundcard till I get all 5 or 7 speakers and subwoofer upgraded
Sorry for double post but just want to ask, what's your price range? How much do you want to spend? What is your goal? (2.1 channel or full 7.1 channel).
Are you using this for your HDTV? (No matter how poverty your home theater system, it still is one so if you're using this for your TV vs yoru PC it makes a difference although small).
What are you hoping to get out of the system? (This is the most important. Do you want a movie theater experience where it's very clear+loud sound that is reproduced exactly like how the director intended? Or are you just trying to enjoy multichannel surround sound to enhance your gaming/movie experience and you listen at normal levels?)
As for the whole "Power output" I'm surprised this wasn't fully explained well at all and also why it wasn't explained that unless you're trying to reproduce a home theater experience (Which it doesn't seem like you are) that the whole debate is useless. You're not running Home Theater Speakers trying to hit 100 dB (as loud as a night club) or hit 120 dB(where you start to feel pain). Correct me if I'm wrong you're just trying to enjoy multichannel audio? 90% of the time your system won't use more than 10 watts of power.
http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-efficiency.htm
There's a calculator on there that will explain it. I can see how much I'm sending to my speakers on my amplifier (or guess really based on the max power output). I rarely get close to using the 300 watts my amplifier is rated for (I think it actually achieves like 270 in testing though). That's when I'm actually using the speakers for trying to replicate a nightclub when I'm throwing a party. In normal listening conditions where you're casually watching TV, you won't use more than 10 watts.
As for how the rating on the receiver is wrong. The receiver usually is rated like this when you read the manual.
1 channel driven, 100 watts, 20-20khz (they use other ranges or just give a straight number testtone to say how much power it can drive). Then, they multiply that number out by 5-7. In reality, the receiver may only 200-300 watts with all channels driven. But there is NEVER a time when you will need 100+ watts to every speaker in the situation you're using the speakers for. Your surrounds don't really play enough frequency ranges to need that much power nor do they play loudly.
In short, when people complain about Receiver wattage, they are complaining about it in a sense that they want to drive large speakers to reference level (quite loud) volumes but wish their receiver would actually put out the rated power. Even then, you're only a pro amplifier away from getting 300+ watts at like $200 USD (spend a little more for a amplifier tha twill last you longer). But that's another discussion.
In short, you're worrying about the wrong things really. The only thing you need to do is get a Receiver and some cheap speakers, or get a prebuilt Home Theater in a Box set. That's really the price range/experience you're looking for. Getting an amplifier for each set of speakers you have is extremely ridiculous and just a waste of money. Especially for the quality of speakers your using.
It's not just nice casing, home theater receivers typically use Class A/B amplifiers, whereas Pro Amps are typically Class D or Class G. In addition most pro amps use fans instead of heatsinks because they are designed for outdoor venues where ambient sound is so high no one will notice the fan noise.
Well like my post says, we shouldn't even be talking about an amplifier OP should just power off of a receiver. He isn't running at any remote volume necessary to warrant the use of an amplifier. But not every Class D Amplifier runs loud. Only the lowest quality (inuke series for example from behringer) does. Mine is silent. My HTPC, amplifier, and receiver both are inaudible from my listening location. The only thing audible is my laptop actually.