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Basic question about power/watts

Hi everyone - I have a question that I can't seem to wrap my head around.  

I purchased a pair of Magnepans a few months back. Honestly, I do not like them. They have their moments but overall, pffft.

So, related to this, I keep reading from various Maggie owners you need TONS of power to make these things sing rather than squawk. I bought a new amp that is rated at 80 wpc at 4ohms. This, I realize, is low power when I see these guys saying they are running some crazy amount like 600 watts per channel. Here is my actual question:

When you are listening to your speakers at a normal volume, the wattage you are using is not near the POSSIBLE output, correct? My 80 wpc is unbearable with the volume at the 11 o'clock position. Why does a person need or want 600 watts? I suspect I am missing something here. Maybe this has to do with why I dislike my Magnepans. Somebody take a moment to set me straight?

Thanks! 

timintexas
audition__audio
1,493 posts
 

Power doubling from 8 to 4 ohms means very little. The simple fact is that low impedance speakers or speakers with a really spastic impedance curve give most amplifiers a really hard load for them to drive. Sometimes this cant be avoided, but when it can and the designer still chooses to make the speaker low impedance it is really a design flaw and shows a lack of amplifier understanding or shows that this designer is catering to the false belief, created by this industry, that double the power trumps all other considerations. I dont think that the weird impedance of Maggies can be avoided.

 

ditusa's avatar
ditusa
1,883 posts
 

Basic question about power/watts

To answer the OPs question I think it has to do with the first watt of the amplifier. FWIW: All amplifiers that run near impedances below an 8Ohm load will produce higher heat and distortion. See article below:

Mike

https://www.firstwatt.com/index.html

perkri
907 posts
 

Power (watts) = Voltage X Current

A 200hp motorcycle is fast

A 200hp tractor is strong

Current amps are strong

Voltage amps are fast

(over simplification, I know…)

The circuit design, type of amp (SS or tube) and class of the amp (A, A/B or D) dictates how that power is made and if it’s voltage, or current based

This is where system synergy is of paramount importance

 

 

carlsbad's avatar
carlsbad
1,551 posts
 

40 watts is plenty.  However, not all 40 watt sources are created equal.  If you have a 40 watt amp with a huge power supply and all the current capability, you'll be fine.  but if your 40 watt amp is a typical amp with just bearly what it takes to get a 40 wpc rating, it probably won't handle the heavy load the your speakers are.

But if you buy a 600 wpc amp, you can be pretty sure that at lower power it has all the power and current necessary to excel at the lower power. 

Make sure your 40 wpc amp is getting adequate power.  it should be plugged directly into the wall or something with high current like a PSAudio power plant.  10 awg power cord.  avoid the passive power conditioners.

Jerry

mike_in_nc
1,152 posts
 

The reason to get a high-powered amplifier is so that when musical peaks come, you will have enough power to reproduce them. For highly compressed pop music, that isn't an issue. But it is an issue for anything recorded naturally. If the amp is limiting, the sound will be strained and/or dull.

 

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