Despite my initial intentions to try an all HTR 7000 setup, I ended up purchasing a SuperCinema 3D XL soundbar last week (and a ForceField 5 to go with it!). I'm loving it, and as part of wanting to downsize my system from my previous tower based home theater I've thought about purchasing a slimline Marantz 1606 receiver to go along with my new GoldenEar speakers. I like this little puppy because despite its small size, it can support a 5.1.2 Atmos system, which I plan to install (with either some 625s or HTR 7000s as rear / height channels).

The only problem I'm worried about is the 50 watt / channel amplification. I'm curious if anyone has used a 50 watt / channel amp to power the SC3DXL? I know one of the things the XL has over the X is the ability to handle increased amplification and I'm worried that I'm wasting the XL on a relatively weak amplifier.

I use the SC3DXL for both movies and music in a moderately sized room (18x9x12 - it opens up in the back to the kitchen).

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Tom

Hi Thinkthis,
Your questions are interesting, and although I have NO experience with the soundbar, I am sure it can and will sound great when properly setup.
I had never heard of that Marantz slimline model, never heard they had slimline, so your question made me look.
Have you purchased the 1606 yet? IF you have, enjoy it and don't read my comments.
First, let me say I am a fan of Marantz gear, up to a point.
BUT when I read about the 1606 and the fact that your room is rather large and open in the back to the kitchen, I wanted to see how much real power it puts out. Sadly, they only specify BS specs. They say it is a 7 channel amp, but never in anything I read specify how much power with all channels driven. It is 50W at 8 ohms, 2 channels driven. The Marantz site even gives the power for one channel driven, but never more than two. Then to me, the sad answer would be NO, it will not have much power at all.
OK, then just use the pre-outs, let the Marantz do the processing and get other amps for the other channels. Again, sadly, I could not see that it has pre-outs for the surround channels either. But this was not clear, so perhaps I am mistaken here.
I am not trying to be negative or throw sand on any brand or piece of equipment, Marantz gear sounds better than all the other mass market gear to me, but you asked about enough power and I highly doubt that this piece has it.
IF you can audition it where it is connected to and running multiple speakers in a similar system to what you want to have, please give it a listen before buying.
I hope this helps, and I am sorry to sound negative. It might be the cat's meow, what do I know?
Happy listening,
God Bless, Wayne

It's all about how loud you play. For low to moderate volumes, you'll only ever need a few watts. When it comes to "wasting," think about it in reverse and play the sensitivity game. The Triton One's for example will play louder than the Triton Twos due to the slightly increased sensitivity rating, so in theory, they can get away with a less powerful amplifier...

That said, my very first receiver was a Pioneer integrated amp rated at 40w/channel. I had to turn it up to 8 on the dial (out of 10) before any distortion kicked in, and it was decently loud, but I always wanted a bit more. Given your room size, you'll have to be OK with only moderate volume, not loud, and listen carefully for distortion at volume. The other consideration is that you're powering a total of 3 channels with this 3D array, so your Marantz Slimline will have to drive multiple channels concurrently.

If it were me, I'd look for another receiver option, but I'm a power-hungry guy. I also have lots of space to work with.

I would think that you could find another Marantz receiver that's only slightly larger than the Slimline that will have more power?

Keep in mind that the higher you set the crossover, the more of the work will be done by the powered sub, and less by the receiver. As long as the sub is near the front/center, try a crossover as high as 150 Hz to maximize playing level with your modest powered receiver.