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Speaker power rating and amplification???

Stage one: I own a pair of B&W DM604 S2's that have a power rating on the rear of the speaker listed at 150W. Stage two: I have an Acurus A150 2 CH amp that has a power rating of 150W per CH. Question: Is this too much power for the speakers? What considerations need be addressed here. I also have an Acurus A80 with a rating of 80W per CH if the A150 is too much power. Any suggestions on how to correctly match power to speakers and are there any rules of thumb to be followed here? I don't want to do any damage to the speakers with too much power.

Thanks for your time and advice.
nissancrazy

Showing 2 responses by rlips

rlips
105 posts
 
Careful use of the volume control will ensure that you don't damage the speaker. At a reasonable volume, you will be operating either amplifier within it's linear range, ie, you will not clip. Accordingly, you will not damage the speakers. All other things being EXACTLY equal (and they never are;), you would probably be hard pressed to tell the difference between the 150W amp and the 80W amp. At 90dB, you are in good shape with either, enjoy.

Ron
rlips
105 posts
 
Your welcome. Just to clarify, the "dial" position is not related to the power output of the amp, rather, it has to do with the voltage gain of the amp. All things equal, usually lower voltage gain and more "dial" is better; you want to take the voltage gain as early as possible in the pre-amp), this will typically result in a lower noise floor.

Of course, the best guide is your ears, for whatever reason, you hear more detail and better imaging, these qualities alone would be the reason to go with a particular amp, regardless of power rating. And, it may be, as you move up the line, the circuit is different.
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