My Wilson Watt Puppy 7's have 92 dB efficiency, although at 4 ohms impedance they draw twice the current that one rated at 8 ohms would have. I tried some 15 wpc SET amps with them, and while they would drive them to reasonably satisfying sound levels, the bass was loose and dynamics were compressed. 92 dB is not hugely sensitive, and the impedance curve also plays a big factor. If your speakers have impedance dips and/or the impedance is reactive (either capacitive or inductive), the speaker load may be such that it would tax your low-powered amp. As Tvad says above, I would contact the manufacturer for an impedance curve and recommendation on the types of amps you can drive them with. Also, low-wattage amps are not always cheaper--there are a lot of factors in cost--and they may or may not be a good match for your speakers. For instance, Lamm amps that have 18 wpc cost something like $30K and are raved about here on the Gon.
efficiency- hope i spelt that wright.
after my last thread, I started thinking about speaker efficiency, my speakers are rated at 87 db's which i think are pretty inefficent,so I am thinking I need a bigger amp to drive them, is this true? now lets say i enjoyed klipsch (which I do not) they are very efficient so would a low wattage amp perform better for this speaker vs. a high waggage amp? Is a guy wasting his money buying inefficient speakers? my thought are the lower the wattage the cheaper the amp so if you could match them up with really efficient speakers you could have a gem, any thoughts on this question are something i will truly enjoy reading. thanks
mike
mike
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- 11 posts total
- 11 posts total