2. misc-audio
  3. 175990-102842

Current Questions

More and more, I see the word “current” in audio reviews. The reviewers warn me that I’ll “need lots of current” for a given speaker but they don’t explain exactly what it is I need or how many “lots” is. I’ve looked at a few “Electronics For Dummies”-type sites but I’m still confused. A few questions:

 

—What is current?

 

—When someone writes, “These speakers need a lot of current,” what do they mean? Is sensitivity involved? Impedance?

 

—On the amplifier end, what specification measures current?

 

—Are there subjective considerations at work in that spec? The number of watts doesn’t tell me everything about loud an amplifier sounds. Does the number of [whatever measures current] similarly leave things unexplained?

 

—Everyone asks, “How many watts?” No one asks, “How much current?” Is it really so important?

paul6001

Showing 2 responses by dynacohum

dynacohum
680 posts
 

GS5 etc.,

your answer begins to explain why high current amplifiers tend to cost more and are less commonly found in mid-fi…they require larger transformers and more storage capacity.  I believe Krell was first to go for broke in this area. How does this all apply in the world of class D?  Maybe it was Bob Carver whose cube amp broke this open by generating high current capacity without big storage?  

dynacohum
680 posts
 

I remember looking t the curlicue plots of phase angle in Audio...couldn't interpret what they meant worth a da**!  Ditto Stereophile's phase angle overlays on their impedance curves.  Anyway, those Krell amps sure had some bass.  Since many Class D amps quote the same output power into 4 and 8 Ohms, I'm wondering how that relates.  Many comparisons say Class D has rock solid bass as a general characteristic.  The NAD M33 certainly got great acceptance from the usual suspects.

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