Class A bias, speaker sensitivity, watts...?


Hello

Please help me understand the relationship between Class A bias and wattage output. I recently bought a used Vincent Audio SV236MK used for a great price. The specs state 150 watts into 8 ohms, 250 into 4 ohms, and the first 10 watts being Class A @ 8 ohms.

My speakers are Sonus Faber Lumina II which are rated as 4 Ohm with 86db sensitivity. Everything is set up in my small cube shaped office. I used a DB meter on my iPhone and found that when I turn the volume up to what I consider to be "loud" the peak measurement I get is 80db and under.

 

Given the specs above, am I hearing mostly/all Class A watts while listening?

craigvmn

@OP Re Boomerbillone's post. It is a little misleading to tie references to distortion to the output devices. Class A operation avoids crossover distortion. However, amplifier distortion is influenced by a whole host of factors so you can still have a Class A amplifier that distorts. There is also the fact that because true Class A amps are inefficient, they may need to be driven harder to achieve high SPLs and thus increasing distortion. That is not to dismiss the benefits of Class A operation - it has a lot going for it when it comes to reproducing music.

Thank you all for the replies and insights. The question was more of a curiosity than anything. I've been into music since the late 60's and audio gear since the mid 70's. Regardless of operation, through a slew of solid state and tube gear, this amp is the best I've had and considering I can't afford to spend big bucks, the system on the whole is very satisfying. 

Shengya is the designer/manufacturer, a home grown Chinese brand that’s been around a while and their amps are quite good for the price. I’ve tinkered with their products in the past.They make other amps on contract for brands like Vincent in other continents that don’t have manufacturing prowess.

Many ’ultra high end’ amps sold to you as European/North American brands are actually designed/manufactured by Chinese engineering. When it gets to European/North American shores, it gets an astronomical markup and a brand name so the buyer can feel like he is in the "ultra high end" club.

Don’t worry too much if you couldn’t spend big bucks.

 

Thank you all for the replies and insights. The question was more of a curiosity than anything. I’ve been into music since the late 60’s and audio gear since the mid 70’s. Regardless of operation, through a slew of solid state and tube gear, this amp is the best I’ve had and considering I can’t afford to spend big bucks, the system on the whole is very satisfying.

 

Yes; for.a small office you've got probably 10x the power you need for those listening levels.  A, A/B or other, watts is watts.

If your amplifier had VU meters your question would have been easily answered.