Amplifier current vrs watts; why is current more important?


Lately when talking to knowledgeable people in the audio industry I’ve been hearing how current delivery is more important than watts in determining weather an amplifier will drive a speaker.
So what exactly is current and how does it effect speaker performance? How can a amplifier rated at 150 watts into 8 ohms vs one rated at 400 watts into 8 ohms be a better match for a hard to drive speaker?
hiendmmoe
hiendmmoe

Showing 1 response by akg_ca

@gs5556 

+1 … nailed it 

In other words…

Q.” …. I just don’t know how to read amplifier specs to identify whether an amp is high current. …”

A. Don’t look only at the headline power figure - see what happens when the impedance drops to four ohms. If the number nearly doubles, then your amplifier has good current delivery and will be capable of driving more demanding speakers.

E,g, My  integrated amp

A no compromise, super high performance, 162 W into 8 Ω (250 W, 4 Ω), dual mono amplifier.