Amplifier Specs

How much damping factor you need depends on the speaker you intend to use. Some speakers are specifically designed for use with tube amps that generally deliver low damping. Coupled with an amp with high damping factor will produce an over damped bass response, dry and muddled. I think it has to do with the Q factor of the woofer. Maybe someone out thier in Audiogon land has a better grasp of the tech aspect.Suffice to say, matching the right amp to a speaker can make a huge difference.

OK I know, I mean out there. Oops.

You have to consider that speaker cones have a true damping that is determined by lots of factors, including the damping effect of the voice coil resistance. The amp impedence does not add much to the voice coil total resistance and in reality has little effect on the total damping. Speaker damping is usually engineered to achieve the desired low frequency rolloff. The aim here is to get a low damping figure for the speaker system as a whole to get the best bass response. But it is true that getting the right amp to match the speaker system still makes a huge difference.

You have to consider that speaker cones have a true damping that is determined by lots of factors, including the damping effect of the voice coil resistance. The amp impedence does not add much to the voice coil total resistance and in reality has little effect on the total damping. Speaker damping is usually engineered to achieve the desired low frequency rolloff. The aim here is to get a low damping figure for the speaker system as a whole to get the best bass response. But it is true that getting the right amp to match the speaker system still makes a huge difference. Richard at www.vantageaudio.com

Sorry, the above post was duplicated! Well, we are talking about "stereo" speakers here, yes? Richard.