Importance of Damping Factor and Current for amps

In general amps with high current capability will deal with difficult , low impedance loads better, but , as noted, there is no single measurement or even sets of measurements that will tell you what a speaker amp combination will sound like. I have found it amusing how often you see the sound of a speaker or amp described by itself when in fact there is no such thing as the sound of a speaker except as driven by a particular amp or of the amp except as heard through a certain speaker. As a dealer I always suggested selecting a speaker first as it is considerably easier to find an amp that will work well with it than it is to find a speaker to match an amp. In the first case you know what the needs are, in the second you have potentials that could match many different speakers in different ways.

I hope this thread is read by many members.

About a month ago I had a spirited discussion with a customer who insisted on purchasing an amp from me with a high damping factor.

The amp I recommended would have been a terrific match but the gentleman insisted differently based solely on the damping factor.

In any case, Ralph, Simon, Jallen, and Stan make good points.

In addition to the good points that have been made above, it should be kept in mind that extremely high amplifier damping factors are meaningless in typical setups, because from the woofer's perspective damping is also limited by the resistance of the speaker cables and the resistance of the inductor in the crossover.

A 10 foot run of 12 gauge speaker wire, corresponding to a 20 foot round-trip for the signal, will limit the damping factor to about 250, even if the amp's damping factor is infinite. Crossover inductor resistance is often much more significant than even that, and I believe in many cases will limit the damping factor to well under 50.

Regards,
-- Al