For efficient speakers, how much difference does an amp really make?

+1 @atmasphere 

To add to Ralph's (Atmasphere's) comment, based on the specs shown at the end of this document the 93 db figure is based on 3 db of anticipated "room gain." The anechoic figure is 90 db, which IMO is probably what should be relied on when comparing the specs of this speaker to those of others. Also, the impedance curve shown near the end of that document indicates an impedance of about 5 ohms for most of the region below 1 kHz, where the majority of amplifier power is typically required. Sensitivity of 90 db/2.83 volts/1 meter corresponds to about 88 db/1 watt/1 meter for a 5 ohm load, which is definitely not high efficiency.

That said, the relatively flat impedance curve and the relatively small impedance phase angles at most frequencies suggest that this speaker should be fairly versatile in terms of amplifier selection. I wouldn't want to speculate, though, on how much of a difference you are likely to hear in your particular system going from the Outlaw to another amp you may consider. I would just say that the difference is likely to be less than it would be if your speakers had particularly challenging impedance characteristics.

In any event, kudos to Ascend for providing the detailed information they have provided in the paper I linked to.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

i am absorbing all of this...it’s a lot to process.

My system is very happy at low to medium volume levels. The sound is open and clear and produced seemingly without effort. It ramps up nicely until you get to a place where things start to change. The open sound starts to close up a bit and there is a strident tone that creeps in as the volume gets to what i would call “loud”. We’re not talking Wembley Stadium loud, or vibrate the windows loud, but the kind of volume you’d want for a favorite song when you really want to enjoy it.

Maybe the speakers are just tapping out, but i doubt it. i suspect that the slim, cool running M2200’s are simply running out of puff. Whether that means amps or watts...I have no idea, but I suspect these speakers have more to give.

I think it’s pretty clear that more watts are not always better watts...but i’m curious...what is the secret sauce that makes an amp with less wattage capable of driving a system with more authority and gusto than one with higher wattage?

And the big question....short of buying a dozen different amps and auditioning them on your own system at home, how can one even begin to make intelligent guesses about what to try next?

I agree from reading the specs that these things are 90db efficient with a 4ohm minimum stated. Absolutely typical of pretty much every modern tower speaker around these days. If you owned actually efficient speakers the world of lower powered amps would become available to you, including small single ended tube amps that many feel sound more like music should. 

dtrandall, well, most peoples' systems are "happy" at lower volume. Doesn't take extreme sound for that comfortable sound. 

It's not assured from your descriptions that the issue is not the speakers. If you are hankering for a more voluminous sound than those speakers can provide, it won't matter what amp you put on them, they'll be quite limited in comparison to some other designs. Something to chew on. 

See, you thought it was a simple, "Pick the right amp," question. Nope; it's much more complex than that. However, accept the challenge of finding your dream system and have fun with it.  I recommend you first familiarize yourself with the expected performance outcomes of different speakers and genres of speakers. In the end you could pick even an entirely different genre of speaker. It's a wide open field of discovery. 

Get thee to shops (when open again!) to hear some stuff, and for sure try to attend a show - eventually. Until then, keep reading, keep exploring, keep asking... LOT's to learn and consider. You won't have an easy time picking, and when you do you'll be tempted to second guess your decision. Perhaps you should, perhaps you shouldn't. There is no magical template. Building your dream system IS a lot of trial and error over time, and no one can magically make it appear for you, unless you simply accept their recommendation, and in that case you still have no assurance you did the best.  :) 

The more serious you are about this, the more gear you have to handle, if your goal is to gain assurance you are moving upward toward a highly developed rig. You pick how hard you want to push on that.  :) 

I'm going to be candid, blunt in one respect, in regards to assessment of your system/speakers. I mean NO disrespect, this is for analysis of your desires. The cabinets are small and light, the volume on cabinet and driver size is quite limited. I had a set of Kirksaeter Silverline speakers similar; nice, but lots of upscale characteristics to gain if I wanted to move up. Imo, some of the messier sound you hear is due to the cabinet when volume elevated, and I suspect the bass gets messy as a result. 

I suspect your speakers are the better upgrade. That is not to suggest you could not see some improvement with a different amp; of course you could. However, if you want to vastly change the experience, you should seek different speakers. That would be a sea change in performance. 

You mentioned "low end grunt"; I wonder if you are wanting more impact, more presence. Those speakers cannot give it to you in spades. the bass performance on those is closer to a bookshelf than a big tower speaker. Imo, begin looking for different speakers, not a different amp. A move to an Adcom or similar will be more lateral than upward. Different speakers can blow this performance out of the water. If you don't have enough money, save for it. It will be most worthwhile. That's not to say the Outlaw amp should not be upgraded eventually, but imo speakers are the direction to go.  :) 

I have zero interest in debating my recommendations.