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Amp matching with high sensitivity speakers

I sold a pair of B&W 803 D2’s and went the polar opposite with a pair of minty Chorus 1’s I bought from a friend. I have mixed feelings about the move so far but have new Crites Crossovers and Ti diaphragms in hand and will be installing as soon as I can find a couple of hours. Perhaps that will improve detail and dynamics a bit. One of the reasons for picking up the Chorus is trying the high sensitivity speaker/lower watt amp combo that many audiophiles enjoy.  

I came across a post from Klipsch recommending to use no less than 80% and no more than twice the speaker’s continuous power rating. The RMS on the Chorus is 100 watts. I could be wrong but take that to mean use an amp no less than 80 watts and I more than 200 watts. The article talks about potentially damaging the speakers with too low or too much power. https://support.klipsch.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044125891-Choosing-the-Right-Receiver-Amplifier

I’m looking for feedback on those actually using lower watt amps on this 80% rule for speakers. I’m using a 300 watt Levinson 532H but eager to try a lower power tube or a First Watt solid state as soon as possible. Thanks for chiming in. 

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pesky_wabbit's avatar
pesky_wabbit
1,183 posts
 

good rule of thumb, but things get a little bit more complicated with high sensitivity full range drivers (don‘t they always) as this article by Nelson Pass will explain:

https://www.firstwatt.com/pdf/art_cs_amps.pdf

 

johnk's avatar
johnk
1,975 posts
 

Klipsch is fine to try out higher sensitivity but it's near equal to dipping a toe in a hot tub. So if this combo is not to your liking don't judge all higher sensitivity loudspeakers saying you explored them you just tried a wee taste of what they can do.

larryi
3,923 posts
 

I agree that Klipsch, for that matter any brand or model, cannot represent horn-system sound.  The other issue is that high efficiency speakers are particularly sensitive to the amplifier being use, but most people never hear such speakers with optimal amplification (typically, high quality tube amplification).

ohlala
1,235 posts
 

I hate to extrapolate, but my experience with lower output amps (35, 70, 80, 150 watt) with JBL 4367s (94db/hybrid with 15" woofers) was not good. Sure, they will play loud, but the bass is soft, creating great discontinuity between the horn's and woofer's respective frequency range. Obviously there are speakers without crossovers that sound fantastic with tiny amps. One is Voxativ's Zeth at 95db. I have come to the conclusion that the sensitivity is not the beginning and end of amplifier output choice.     

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bfoura OP
87 posts
 

Sounds like I have some options for amps for these speakers, which is what I was hoping for. I will say things don’t sound of out whack with my 300 watt Levinson, which many would consider over kill for these speakers but it’s what I have right now. 

Would going with an all tube system introduce more hum or blackground noise with high sensitivity speakers? I have a tube pre and phono and curious about that. Or, would a high watt amp like my Levinson contribute to background noise as well? 

 

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