Watts! How many do we need?

That's a very nice amp for those speakers, congrats. Fellow Harbeth owner - I'm seeing/hearing similar results. I think the "low" sensitivity of Harbeth's isn't that relevant with well-matched, high-current SS power which is exactly what you have based on Paul's video (able to double power from 8 to 4 ohms).  

Even if our meters are not perfectly calibrated, there is no doubt in my mind that they are a very good indication that the amp is barely breathing, and having virtually unlimited headroom is a really good thing. Enjoy it! 

@bigtwin 

Thanks that was an interesting article. 
 

@macg19 

Yes exactly how I feel  The amp reproduces the peaks effortlessly. No sounds of straining or harshness.  The entire frequency range just gets louder with no over emphasis of upper frequencies A very even response  

@bigtwin Very interesting, thank you.

@bigtwin -- the one thing missing in the info you posted is a reference to the listening volume in the room. Not everyone wants live rock concert volume in their home.

The other common mistake concerns the level of peaks above the average playback volume. People often think that recordings have more dramatic peaks than they actually do.  Digital recordings in particular have a max level that can't be exceeded. I've used Adobe Audition for years to edit all manner of recordings -- rock, folk, jazz, classical and others.  One thing I've noticed, in particular in reference to albums recorded since the advent of digital in studios, is the volume uniformity of drum strikes -- a common source of audible peaks in music. Viewed digitally, one can easily see that dynamic peaks have been limited during the recording process. The uniformity is is sharp contract to the variable peaks one sees from old LPs recorded on analog tape. Even with the latter there was a max possible volume that could recorded on the tape so limiters were still used so the average playback level wouldn't be too soft. No one wants the average level so low that background noise gets in the way.

@ghdprentice 

I’ve been looking at SF speakers and the dealer I’ve been talking to has mentioned several times that “These speakers need a lot of watts to sound good!”  One of the speakers I am looking at is the Amity G5 and he said that it needed 600 watts to really sing.  And I immediately thought of you and had to stifle a laugh.  He’s talking and I’m imagining you with 600 X 2 watts of ARC tube equipment.