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AV Receiver & Speaker Compatibility Checker

Check if your AV receiver can power your speakers. Free and instant, across 149 real speakers, subwoofers, receivers and amps from 28 brands, every spec sourced.

By roomtreatment.diy editorial team ·

An AV receiver and speaker compatibility checker tells you whether a receiver can drive a set of speakers before you buy. Pick your receiver, speakers and layout: this one checks impedance, amplifier channels, pre-outs, Dolby Atmos decoding, subwoofer connections and power headroom from each product’s published specs, and says exactly what to change when something doesn’t fit. The example below is a real catch: 4 Ω ELAC towers on a Denon receiver rated for 6 Ω and up.

Speaker layout

Your components

Result
1 problem found

This system won’t work as picked. Each problem below says what to change.

Problems

  • ELAC DF63 is 4 Ω; Denon AVR-S570BT supports 6 Ω and up.

    Drive it with an amplifier rated for 4 Ω.

Receiver and speakers

Amp channels
5 of 5
Enough for every speaker
Power
70 W
Comfortable. About 45 W gives 95 dB peaks at 2 m
Speaker load
Too low
Speakers dip to 4 Ω
Sub outputs
2
Enough for a subwoofer

Check these in your room

These depend on where everything sits, so they run on your real room in the 3D editor.

  • Speaker angles from your seat
  • Loudness at your real seat distance
  • Rear port distance from the wall
Check it in your room in the 3D editor

What it checks

  • Impedance: every passive speaker against the lowest load its receiver or amplifier is rated for.
  • Channels: the receiver processes every speaker in your layout, and has an amplifier channel for each.
  • Pre-outs: speakers that need an external amplifier have a pre-out to connect it to.
  • Height speakers: the receiver decodes Dolby Atmos or DTS:X.
  • Subwoofers: each one has the input your receiver can feed.
  • Matching: left and right fronts are the same model, and the center comes from their series.
  • Power headroom: the receiver’s rated watts against what the speakers need at a typical seat.

What needs your room

The checker places your system in a standard room with every speaker 2 m from one seat, at the angles Dolby and the ITU recommend. That settles everything the products decide on their own. Speaker angles, loudness at your real seat distance and the gap behind a rear-ported speaker depend on your room, so the checker lists them and the 3D editor checks them on your actual layout.

Frequently asked questions

Can my receiver power 4 ohm speakers?
Only if the receiver is rated for a 4 Ω load. The checker compares each speaker’s published nominal impedance with the lowest impedance its receiver or amplifier is rated for. A 4 Ω speaker on a receiver rated for 6 Ω and up is flagged, as in the example above. When a receiver is rated for 4 Ω but has an impedance setting, the checker tells you to set it to 4 Ω.
What happens if speaker impedance is too low for my receiver?
A lower impedance draws more current than the amplifier was built to deliver. The receiver runs hot and, played loud, can shut itself down to protect its output stage. The fix is an amplifier rated for your speakers’ impedance, either a different receiver or an external power amp driven from the receiver’s pre-outs.
How much amplifier power do my speakers need?
It depends on how sensitive the speakers are and how far away you sit. The checker sizes power for 95 dB peaks, which is the 105 dB reference level less 10 dB of headroom, from each speaker’s published sensitivity at a typical 2 m seat. Every 3 dB less sensitivity doubles the power needed. For your real seat distance, open the system in the 3D editor.
Do I need a separate amplifier for Atmos height speakers?
Only when your receiver has fewer amplifier channels than you have passive speakers. The extra speakers then need a power amp connected to the receiver’s pre-outs for those channels, and height channels are the first to move out. The receiver must also decode Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, and have pre-outs for the channels you move. The checker counts all of this for your layout.
Can I connect two subwoofers to my receiver?
Yes. The checker shows how many subwoofer outputs your receiver has and lets you pick up to 4 subwoofers. It also checks that each subwoofer can connect: it needs a line-level input when the receiver has a subwoofer output, and speaker-level inputs when the receiver has none.
Will my receiver power my speakers?
Pick your receiver, speakers and layout above. The checker confirms the receiver decodes and processes every channel, has an amplifier channel or a usable pre-out for each speaker, is rated for the speakers’ impedance, and can connect your subwoofer. Every problem comes with the change that fixes it.
What does the checker not check?
Anything that depends on your room: the angle of each speaker from your seat, height speaker elevation, how loud the speakers play at your real seat distance, and how close a rear port sits to the wall. Those run on your room in the 3D editor.
Does my center speaker need to match my front speakers?
It works either way, but a center from the same series as your fronts keeps voices sounding the same as sound pans across the front. The checker warns when the center comes from a different series, or when the left and right fronts are different models.
Where do the specs come from?
From manufacturers’ published specifications and manuals, with a source for every figure, and every product is reviewed before it ships. When a product doesn’t publish a spec a check needs, the checker says it couldn’t check rather than calling the system compatible.
Is the compatibility checker free?
Yes, with no account. Every check that needs only product specs is free here. The checks that need your room run in the 3D editor.

References

  1. ITU-R BS.775 — Multichannel stereophonic sound system with and without accompanying picture
  2. Dolby Laboratories — Dolby Atmos Home Theater Installation Guidelines
  3. Manufacturer specifications and manuals, cited on each product page
  4. roomtreatment.diy — How our acoustics engine works