Would lesser wattage give me less BASS on my 5.1 surround receiver?

Question

I Had a Sony STR-DE915 (http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers/harman-kardon-avr-147/4507-6466_7-32421736.html?tag=sub ) thinking it would be a sufficiant replacement. After 2 days I feel that it is lacking bass compared to my old Sony.

I had no idea what my Sony was wattage wise until I already bought the Harmon Kardon. Sony = 100w x 5 Harmon = 40 x 5

I think that is a huge difference myself, and Im guessing thats why I notice this bass difference.

Can someone help?

Answer 1

Well first off most of the deep bass should be sent to the sub and if you're still using the same sub it should not be a huge difference.

Check to make sure that your speaker size settings are all small.....unless you have really good full-range speakers that can produce low-end bass as good as a sub. Otherwise set them to small and your receiver will redirect the bass to the sub.

Answer 2

There are differences in sound quality of each component. Most probably what you feel as a lack of bass is just the sonic signature of the HK and incorrect settings.

See if your subwoofer is configured properly in your receiver.

Try adjusting your subwoofer and check the "phase" setting of it. Find a suitable location for the sub once again (there have been many discussions about this earlier here) and fine tune your setup once again with some good test disc.

Answer 3

Perhaps you had you Sony set up to give some bass boost, while the HK is set set flat.  Amplifier wattage does not affect frequency response, but a low power rating will tend to distort the sound at high listening levels.  Most folks only use a few watts - less than 10 during normal listening.