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Experiences moving from high-power to lower-power system

Dear all,

For years I have been pursing a track of higher and higher power solid-state amplification with medium-to-low efficiency floorstanding speakers. I don't wish to start another tube vs. solid state thread. And we all know the benefits of more, often Class A, power: better headroom, transient response, imaging, soundstage, low-end control. Rather, I want to ask about the experiences of folks who have traded in higher-power for lower-power setups.  What were the tradeoffs? What got better? What got worse? Was it a question of fit with the space? Answers can be from folks with super-high-efficiency speakers and flea-watt amps, tube or solid state, or transitions to setups that are less extreme. 

Thank you,

Paul

paulburnett
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 

More than the amp, it depends on the speakers and the ability to drive them with a certain number of watts.

Years and years ago I had gotten myself down what turned out to be a cul-de-sac, with Muse model 175 monoblocks (the high current version) and Thiel 3.6's.  Audiophile approved, but I wasn't happy.  My local dealer got me to ditch them and moved to Cary CAD-301SE driving ProAc Response 2.5's.  So much more listenable.  That's an extreme example, but it's always horses for courses.

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,948 posts
 
One thing I can tell you is that you don't have to sacrifice anything by getting more efficient and easier to drive speakers! I've yet to hear anything with more resolution and my speakers go down flat to 20Hz. The are 98 db, so I don't need a lot of power. I usually run them with 60 watt tube amps, which allow me nearly unlimited volume levels. I am very used to going over to friend's houses and hearing systems with 800 watts and realizing that by comparison, their systems are smaller and less capable because they lack the dynamic range and resolution.
That old adage about smaller amps sounding better may apply;  certainly if you are careful you won't miss the more powerful/less able amplifiers! The trick is the speaker...
inna
7,354 posts
 
Ralph, how would your speakers sound with 800 watts of tube power ? Or it would just be a waist of electricity and tubes ?
n80
2,133 posts
 
I don't understand speaker specs and such but I understand the concept that some can be driven effectively with lower watts (efficient) while others take more watts (less efficient).

So, does efficiency have any bearing on SQ across the board?

Does a more efficient speaker necessarily sound better at lower volume than a less efficient one.

I've heard that my speakers (Aerial Acoustic 7B towers) are not efficient and require a lot of power. To me they sound good at low volume but I have nothing to compare them to.
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
https://www.galaxyaudio.com/education/efficiency-vs-sensitivity
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