We should reject hard-to-drive speakers more often

@erik_squires Wrote:

There’s a reason JBL professional drivers are so expensive, and one of the main reasons that is that they are built specifically to avoid thermal compression even at constant power levels that would make most audiophile systems weep.

100% correct! See articles below: Power compression Vs Thermal distortion in loudspeaker drivers:

Mike

https://pearl-hifi.com/06_Lit_Archive/15_Mfrs_Publications/Harman_Int%27l/AES-Other_Publications/LS_Heat_Dissipation-Thermal_Compression.pdf

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-compression-vs-thermal-distortion-loudspeaker-alexander-wilson/

@steve59 

https://youtu.be/AhB8uL12gtk

this may help...

... also don't confuse input sensitivity of an amplifier with its power output

I watched the video, not sure PM did the job of explaining the difference between the quality of a Cambridge audio watt vs the BHK.  How would somebody confuse power output with input sensitivity or is input sensitivity a possible reason for the low volume differences I'm hearing?

@steve59 Wrote:

Shouldn't any amp have power to spare at 1 watt? 

Maybe this will help. Why is the first watt important? See below:

https://www.firstwatt.com/

Mike

@steve59 

Typically, speakers respond to the amount of current available…. Basically the number of electrons instantaneously available when a bass note comes along. Watts does not measure this. Amps do. I remember getting my first truly high powered amp it was 250 wpc… but could put out around 4 amps… that was roughly what my arc welder put out at work. When you have that much power in your amp, it just grabs your speaker and says…”do this”, and compliance is mandatory. It does it. 

@steve59,

What speakers do you have?

Mike