SS amps. Why so much power?

David, i've used two different SS amplifiers that were biased Class A, were rated for 40 wpc and 50 wpc, doubled down at 4 ohms and were from the same manufacturer that you're currently using. These powered a set of 96 db speakers in a room appr the same size ( probably slightly smaller ) as to what you mention. It was never loud enough while retaining the clarity that i was looking for when trying to throttle the system. Hence, i upgraded to a far more powerful amp from the same manufacturer and things improved quite measurably.

Having "been there, done that" many times over, i have to laugh at thinking that one could achieve "headbanging levels" with the amount of power and efficiency of speakers that you mentioned in a room of that size. That might be an excellent system for doing chamber music but it is surely NOT suited for trying to reproduce "metal" at "headbanging levels".

As to offending me, i think that your comments were offensive to everyone that currently owns, has owned or may be thinking about purchasing a high powered amplifier. Not only did you pidgeon hole all of these people from various walks of life with different philosophies into one category, you also insulted them by commenting on their "johnson-sized" mentality.

It might only be a "hobby" to you, but it is one of the passions of life to others. Either way, one should think before speaking or posting. Sean
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If you want to controll the bass and move some air, and have the speakers to justify it, you need the power, tube or SS. Bass peaks suck power no question. The more inefficient the speakers the more power you will need if you are chasing bass. You can even hear large club systems run out of gas when underpowered and then the bass gets sloppy and the dynamics go away. I use about 230 wts (tube)a side at home with one 10 inch bass driver per side. in the clubs i use a 45 wt tube amp for guitar that never gets above 3 because it will overplay the PA, And to drive 2x18 per side we use about 1600w just for the bottom, Good bass+ lots of juice.

Lets see if AudiogoN will let this one in.
sean-enjoy your mega watt headbanging amp and I'll enjoy my low watt headbanging amp.
There,that should pass the moderators.

As some of you might have guessed, David and i have been going "round and round" via email. Since much of our conversation pertains to information that might clarify either or both of our positions, i am responding to one of his emails publicly. This will give some of you a better idea of where i'm coming from. This may help to clarify the situation and ease some tension.

David stated that his system ( 30 wpc Class A driving 92 dB speakers ) plays almost as loud as a 250 wpc Krell driving 88 dB speakers. I believe that 100% and would never argue that point. It takes a LOT of power to overcome measurably higher speaker efficiency. I just don't think that either set-up is "loud" nor would it be "clear" due to amplifier strain when cranked up. With that in mind, David and i might not have been as far apart in perspective as it seems.

As such, I think that there have been some large misconceptions as to where i'm coming from. Most people think of a 250 wpc amp as being "BIG". It's really not when you get down to it ( unless you have HIGH efficiency speakers ). In order to achieve the levels of volume with the clarity that i speak of, David thought that i would need something along the lines of a Krell 600 to do the job. I agree that this would be a good starting point. I still don't think that it would get you there due to power losses and distortion in the passive crossover network and out of band power being fed to the drivers. The beauty of active multi-amping is that it bypasses all of that AND increases amplifier efficiency and headroom at the same time.

This information is presented here STRICTLY as a point of reference to why i have said the things that i have about volume levels and clarity. You'll also understand why i said that 250 wpc is not a lot of power.

My main 2 channel system consists of six stereo amplifiers that are actively tri-amped and total 4800 watts of rms power. It consists of amplifiers built and designed by Threshold and Perreaux. Speakers consist of three different sections per side. There is a line array of e-stat tweeter panels, a set of "double stacked" e-stat panels for mids and multiple woofers for each side.

My HT system is rated at 6400 watts rms at the rated speaker impedance, all channels driven. Amplifiers are a Sunfire Signature driving the mains and a Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature driving the center, surrounds and subs. I have six 12's, four 10's and six 8's in this system, so power handling, max spl and low frequency response is not a problem.

My bedroom system is currently bi-amped and may be going to tri-amplification sometime soon. It currently consists of two identical amps ( Quad's ) rated for 100 wpc. Speakers are stand mounted two way monitors and a pair of downloaded subs.

My computer room system uses two Kinergetic Class A mono-blocks into low impedance omnidirectional speakers. Each amp is rated at 800 watts rms into those speakers. While these speakers won't "crank", they do require at least 350+ wpc to let them do what they are capable of doing.

For the record, i do have a "low powered" system. It consists of a vintage Marantz tube amp driving 104 db horns. Some of you may have seen me recently posting a question about this in the Vintage Asylum.

Unless you've ever heard a system that has nearly endless reserves of power and you can move a LOT of air rather effortlessly, you've never heard "loud and clear" before. As i've mentioned before, most of what people think of as being "loud" is actually "distortion byproducts" hurting their ears. I'll leave it at that and hope that some of you can more clearly understand my point of view. Sean

Hey Sean, I have never doubted the truth of the position you are laying out here - for your stated purposes only. And I'm glad your hearing is still intact (though I didn't quite need the full auditory report - I was making a j-o-k-e). Now the only thing I am wondering about is why anyone would want to listen to "metal" in this fashion! (Peace - that was another one.)