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Is there any truth to this question?

Will a lower powered amp that can drive your speakers, in your room, listening to the music you like sound better than using a powerful amp to avoid clipping?

Here's the scenario: Use a 50 w YBA amp to drive 86 db efficient Vandersteens in a 10 x 12 room, listening to jazz or

Will a 200 w Krell or such sound better and more effortless.

Some say buy all the power you can afford and others say the bigger amps have more component pairs ie) transistors to match and that can effect sound quality.
digepix
marebg
9 posts
 
quad 306 vs quad 606(909)
pass labs aleph 3 vs aleph 5
pass labs x250 vs x600
bryston 4bst vs 7bst

and always smaller sounded better !
(speakers: quad 63,988,2805,57; mg1.6,mg12,mg 3.6, gradient Revolutions}
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Digepix.
When I posted above about my opinion and Defstathiou`s experience I did`nt know you had the larger Krell amp already.I guess I`ve been preaching to the choir.
Your conclusion is the same as his.Forget your well meaning friends and just trust what'you' hear. YBA must be very good equitment(I`ve never heard them).
mcpherson
174 posts
 
This may be a silly ? but when the term "clipping" is used..Is it referring to the amp shutting down momentarily or the speakers making a clipping sound?
digepix's avatar
digepix OP
121 posts
 
Here's another one: Harbeth speakers, less sensitive than my Vandersteens and are an easy load for amps to drive my YBA amp is a great match for them.

My Vandersteens are more efficient, easy load to drive but it's open to debate if 50 watts is enough.same room, near field listening, same average volume and type of music.

I'm confused
almarg's avatar
almarg
9,670 posts
 
02-13-12: Digepix
Here's another one: Harbeth speakers, less sensitive than my Vandersteens and are an easy load for amps to drive my YBA amp is a great match for them ...
If the Harbeth's were similar in their frequency response and impedance characteristics to the M40.1, for which John Atkinson's measurements are shown here, there are a couple of factors which probably contributed to that.

First, their near-field frequency response has a 7 db peak at 70 Hz, relative to the response at 1 kHz, and a smaller but significant elevation throughout the mid-bass region. Those are the kinds of frequencies where most music has its greatest energy levels. A 7 db rise results in the same sound level at the particular frequency that would occur if there were no rise but amplifier power is multiplied five times.

Also, as JA notes, "the M40.1's plot of impedance magnitude and phase angle suggests that the Harbeth is easy to drive in terms of its demand for current."

I know of a fellow 'Gon member who very successfully drove an M40.1 with a 32 watt per channel VAC Renaissance 30/30.

Regards,
-- Al
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