2. amps-preamps
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mo' better bass: any substitute for watts?

Generally speaking, and all things being equal, will higher wattage amps generally produce more, better defined bass than lower wattage amps at a given volume level? I don't seem to hear much bass until I turn my amp up to a level that doesn't suit my listening habits. Wondering if this could be improved by upgrading my old NAD 25(or is it 35?)wpc Powerdrive amp with a newer, modest amp in the 100 wpc range or so. I'm thinking about driving a power amp directly off of an Oppo 980H. Speakers are Rega R3's which can produce bass in my small room when I crank the volume and/or bass tone control. Thanks!
clbone
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,784 posts
 
I've run in to this a lot over the years. My solution is tubes. May not work for everyone but it does for me. Sure beats turning up the volume too loud just to get that punch and body that you know is there...
ngjockey
1,042 posts
 
Not necessarily. I've had 100W that kicked heavyweight amp, so to speak, and I've had 100W that barely tickled the woofers.

Your basically correct but... there are just too many buts.
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
as a general staement, a more powerful amp will deliver more bass at a lower volume. speaker placement can help too.
shiva
181 posts
 
I have found my digital Super T-amp really brings out the bass from music, without having to turn it up loud. And it is only 6 watts a side at 8 ohms. I also play it directly from my Oppo 980, as it has its own volume control. Try a digital amp for fun.
ryder
1,689 posts
 
Generally speaking, a more powerful amp may give better bass but it also depends on the character of the amp itself. I am pretty sure you will get better and more defined bass if you substitute your 35W NAD amp with say a Krell integrated. Also, Jaybo is correct in that you won't need to crank up the volume higher to appreciate more bass with a substantially more powerful amp. Even that, your speakers may be limited in bass response, and the suggestion of adding a subwoofer is good idea if the frequency range of your Rega speakers does not extend down to 35Hz or so. Adding a more powerful amp won't help much if your speakers ain't up to it.
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