Dodgealum - great question, thanks for posting. Now I finally "get" why all wpc are not created equal! BUT - someone please tell me how I can get to the next level of insight based on (most?) manufacturer specs...I see wpc ratings listed but I don't THINK I'm seeing info that would help me understand what an amp's current capacity is. Am I missing something? Bottom-line, how can we apply the info in this thread when trying to decide on possible candidates for audition or purchase. |
GS5556 - great reply. Thank you for sharing. This is starting to make sense! |
Great analogy from Danmyers. Most important part of his post, IMO is this "vastly different design parameters required for flow/current and pressure/voltage. Which is better? Well, it obviously depends on what you want to do with the water" IOW, depends on your speakers. Read Atmasphere's posts and white paper. Amp choice highly dependent on whether your speakers are current optimized or voltage optimized. Which strongly suggested that at least a part of "system synergy" can be predicted. |
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Swamp, not to take away from Dan's similar explanation, but if you read my post at the beginning of this thread, you'll realize I said the exact same thing: Therefore, all watts are not created equal. 1 amp (of current) X 10 volts = 10 watts of power. But 10 amps X 1 volt also = 10 watts. Further, the basic W =A x V really works for direct current (DC) only. The formula is a bit more complicated for AC (as in: music signal). But leaving that aside for now, how the power is created will either be better or less good for certain kinds of speakers.
Why? Because every kind of driver generates a reactive signal BACK TO THE AMP. When the signal from the amp moves a cone back and forth, for example, the action of the cone's voicecoil in the magnetic field actually GENERATES a reverse electric current BACK to the amp! This reverse current adds to the impedance (load) the amp "sees".
What's CRITICAL (in amp selection) IMO, is HOW that (let's call it 'phantom') impedance is created. If the amp sees a capacitive type of load (an electrostatic speaker) it needs for its available watts to consist of lots of amps (current). If it sees a resistive type load (like cones, domes, ribbons and planar magnetics) it needs for its available watts to consist of lots of volts (to overcome the reverse voltage created by those kinds of drivers.) . |
