2. amps-preamps
  3. 167736-7156

100 watts enough?

Hi all.  I'm contemplating purchasing a CH Precision A1 and I don't know if it will drive my speakers adequately.  I have EgglestonWorks Andra III speakers which are 88db efficient (impedance 8 ohms nominal, 6 ohms minimal).  I have a 30x20ft  room and I sit about 14ft from the speakers.  I live in a condo and have almost nothing between me and my neighbor so I don't ever crank up the volume.  I use a VAC Renaissance preamp that I almost never crank past 9 o'clock.  The Andra III is a speaker that likes lots of power to open up.  So what do you think?
robal

Showing 5 responses by unsound

unsound
7,338 posts
 
Kijankii's measurements: ...."...102 dB@100W" seems closer to adequate than far more than adequate, at least to me. And at the risk of redundancy; it is a rather large room. I'll hazard a guess that the neighbor leaves home on occasion. 
unsound
7,338 posts
 
At the risk of appearing petty, perhaps it's because some might feel that the amps power output it merely adequate.
unsound
7,338 posts
 
@charles1dad, I haven't recommended higher powered amplification here. I agree with most of yours and Kijanki's posts, though I don't think 92 dB is all that loud, and I think the OPs rather large room is a consideration. IMHO, while 100 dB is most certainly verging on the loud side; 105-115 dB peaks are LOUD.
unsound
7,338 posts
 
71dB seems low to me. I would have thought something like 80 dB would be more typical.
unsound
7,338 posts
 
It is a fairly large space to fill, on the other hand you are not typically seeking high volume levels. Many amp designers suggest that amplifiers are typically at their most linear when operating at about 20% of their output and further suggest having about 80% headroom above that. Ideally you could try it out with a return option.
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