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 2 responses by yage

You can also plug in your numbers into this calculator (Amplifier Power Required):

https://www.crownaudio.com/en/tools/calculators

It would be more accurate if you have an SPL meter but I reckon that most people self-select volume at around 71-74 dB continuous. This is what I call comfortably loud. If you listen at 71 dB, the amp wouldn’t even leave its continuous power range until a peak greater than 24 dB. That level of dynamics would cover large symphonic works, so the amp would be good for basically all music.
@unsound @charles1dad
Just for reference, here is a link to loudness levels that studios are recommended to calibrate to when monitoring. The relevant table is ’Room size vs Reference Level’ all the way at the bottom. Note that for the largest space, the recommendation is 83 dB SPL (C weighted). This is measured using pink noise with a single speaker. Subtract 3 dB if playing the pink noise through two speakers.

Another guidepost could be the THX Reference Level. This is set to 85 dB SPL (C) at the listening position as measured with pink noise. The equipment should be able to handle 20 dB peaks. So if you’ve been to a THX certified cinema, you’ll have a sense of how loud that is.

In any case, I recommend getting an SPL meter and measuring yourself. You might come away surprised.