Rockport Atria II or Magico A5

I used to have Harbeth 30.1s and 30.2s - both around 86-87dB sensitivity. One of the major threads in the Harbeth user group is about amp power for the speakers.  Interestingly, the owner, Alan Shaw is firm that any amp over 25W will be sufficient. By far though, the consensus within the Harbeth owner's group is min a100w.  I wonder if Harbeth is unique in the concern many of its owners give to amp power, or if other owner's groups do as well.  

Harbeth’s seem to like some power upstream. But, I suppose from Alan Shaw’s perspective 25 watts is enough to drive them. There certainly does seem like there are folks who like to listen at low levels in small rooms, and those that like concert hall levels in large rooms...each will have a different power requirement for their speakers. Used to be back in the day that the saying was: 15 watts will fill a church! While this is probably true, they forgot to say what the church will be filled with, LOL!

Good point.  I'd expect 25w sufficient for a Londoner audiophile seeking to fill an exhorbitanly expensive- and very tiny - flat in London.  Smart marketing.  

Davey,

You are 100% correct, it can be costly AND a big hassle if someone buys the wrong speaker for their situation , including budget, room interaction and their personal preferences.

Your last paragraph sums up my sentiments and how I operate. With anyone that is looking at Magico or any other 88db-90db or lower than these number efficiency ratings I ALWAYS discuss what the appropriate amplification requirements would be.

I would find first find out if what they own is appropriate to drive the new speakers that they are contemplating. If it’s not I would tell them. Then work with them if it’s in their budget to upgrade their amplification to drive the speakers appropriately.

Another IMPORTANT variable regarding power is the size of their room AND loud they listen,  I have certain customer that literally NEVER turn it up above a 70db listing level in a small room.  They might be totally fine with a STRONG 30 WATT PP tube amp for their listing requirements.  It really comes down to each customer's overall equation.

Besides driving a speaker appropriately also selecting the type of speaker (dynamic, horns, electrostatic, open baffle, ported/non-ported, all ribbon, hydbrids, etc) and the appropriate size of speaker, not too large or too small for their room as well are all considerations when selecting the right speaker for an individual.

I personally take all of these variables into account when looking at a customer’s equation and make sure that they understand all of the amplification, appropriate size and type speakers for their room, which will deliver great sonics.

Rhapsody probably sells 70% of it’s gear to customer’s who NEED this type of advice. The 30% of "audiophile" customers that we sell to are almost always aware of the variables involved in buying the "right" or "wrong" speaker for their situation.

Spent several hours with the Atria II's and A5's.  Porchased the Rockports. Superb musicality, depth of soundstage.  

Seems most speakers in this price range handle acoustic music extremely well, and rock - depending on your bass preference.   The Rockports stood out to me in their handling of orchestal music, which seems a greater challenge for most speakers. Here come the cliches, but I was listening to the music and not the speakers.  Also, while the A5 soundstaging may have been more pin-pointed and precise, I felt the Rockports presented a more realistic array of voices - again more like being in the hall than listening to a technically accomplished loudspeaker.  Same with chamber music.  The Rockport's ability to differentiate between four individual string instruments with similar timber was remarkable, always a challenge.   Love my Focal Kanta 3s but this will be a big step up for me.  The guys at F1 Audio are a great team!