It depends what you are trying to do. Play chamber music late at night or trying to make the neighbors move? I ran a 350 wpc amp for over 2 decades, Just sold my 400 wpc amp, and I still have a good 200 wpc amp on hand but most of my systems now are 25 or 35 wpc. It's more than enough for me.
enough amplifier power
I am curious as to why so many people think that their amplifiers are powerful enough for their speakers. I use a Yamamoto A-08S--around 1.5 watts output. I use it with a Fostex F-106ESR. The combination is a little ragged at low volumes, but beautifully immediate. Distorts awfully at anything approaching a decent volume. I see people using 20-100 watt amplifiers with medium efficiency loudspeakers. I do not see how this can work any better. If you work out the math, most loudspeakers need 200-500 watts minimum. That is not even taking into account low impedance loudspeakers. Do people not know what distortion sounds like? Or, compression either, for that matter? Please enlighten me.
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We never get sick of this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg14jNbBb-8 That is why Klipsch put a bad taste in my molars and ears. Aren’t they like 103 or 104 db@1w - 1m? Hooked up to early 90’s Adcom monoblocs. They were just, all treble and no bass. Hurt my ears. I mentioned this before, hooked up other amps over the next 3-4 weeks. All the other amps sounded better, through the Klipschorns. I can see where a 75 W amp can be enough for such high spl speakers. BUT.....if you want to crank it up with Motörhead, or suffocation, Y&T, Saxon, Forbidden, Kreator etc etc. most metal and hard rock is so compressed on some CDs, it distorts fast. Where an LP does not. I totally get it. I will never have less than 250W amps. That’s just me. been there and learned my lesson. Who knows, when I hit 70, maybe I will get a 7 W set amp for a pair of QSC stage monitors. Plus, it’s bragging rights. You don’t hear “dude, come over and see my new 3W mono beast amps. (a joke for those easily butthurt these days). :) my lowest power amps now are the Odyssey kismet monos with about 350-370W into 3.5 - 4 Ohms. 200W into 8 Ohms. They do put out some watts, they seem to have more power than they are rated for. Cheers! POWER!!!!!!!” |
My Vandersteens are 87db efficient and work great with 120 wpc .. I generally don't listen much above 90db SPLs.. Probably a Pass Labs Int-60 (which is rated conservatively) would be more than enough for the Vandies. I wouldn't mind having speakers that are 93-96db, and then I could run the Linear Tube Audio integrated amp (20W) that I covet. I don't lose sleep over it, as I like my current speakers. |
In my second system I use 65 wpc Ayon Spirit 2 tube integrated with my JM Reynaud Offrande Supreme V2s which are 90DB. More than enough power and more loss of musicality without going beyond 10-11 "o’clock". In my main system I have Daedalus Argos V2 which are 97.5DB. I rotate between 3 amps every couple of weeks ; 22wpc Line Magnetic 518IA 22wpc 845 tube SET; a Finale Audio 7189 MK2 7189a/EL84M 22wpc tube pushpull; and Modwright LS100pre/KWA100SE 120wpc SS. The 22wpc amps don’t give anything up vis a vis the Modwright’s 120wpc, just differences in sound between the 3 amps |
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