CHAPTER 4 – AMPLIFIER RECOMMENDATIONS
No single type of amplifier is specified for use with the S4800 system. The speakers are highly efficient and will operate ade- quately with an amplifier or receiver of 70–100 watts.
However, the transient response and audio definition of a high-end system such as the S4800 will pick up all inefficiencies and distortion in an amplifier system. For full- range operation, the S4800 system can be used with an amplifier/ receiver of as little as 30 watts. Amplifiers/receivers of 100–300 watts will ensure optimum system performance.
There is no effective limit to the power handling capabilities of the S4800 loudspeakers when driven by consumer audio amplifiers. No damage will occur when used with high-powered components. Source impedance is an important criterion in selecting an appropriate unit; the selected amplifier(s) should have a very high current capacity and must be capable of driving a low impedance load.
For bi-wiring applications, four iden- tical amplifiers or two dual-channel units may be used, although spe- cialized low-frequency and high- frequency amplifiers offer clear advantages.
NOTE: When using separate high- and low-frequency amplifiers with dual wires to each speaker, the amplifiers must have exactly the same gain structure, or one of them must have a level control to adjust the gain between the two ampli- fiers. If four amplifier channels are used, the high-frequency amplifier may be up to 6dB less powerful than the low-frequency amplifier. Due to the power versus frequency distribution of the music, the low- frequency section requires approxi- mately four times the power of the high-frequency section.
JBL specialist dealers can recom- mend amplification to best suit individual needs. In all cases, the left and right amplifiers for each section must be identical. Make sure that the input sensitivity of the two amplifiers is equal or that input level controls are provided to maintain the proper low to mid/high balance. If two identical stereo amplifiers are chosen, each amplifier may be located near a loudspeaker and drive low- frequency and high-frequency sections through short wire runs.
