Well first of all Tube amps have much higher current than SS, so watts are not directly comparable. A 50 Watt Tube amp is really as powerful, if not more so than a 100 SS amp. The output of a balanced preamp is considerably louder than single ended, so in a way, perhaps you could get a way with a less powerful amp, but I don't think that's the best way to design a system, or should be prioritized. Best to buy components that have the sonic characteristics that you like and believe in, regardless of whether bal or se. Also its best to run thru and thru - balanced pre to balanced amp, se to se ... The more important consideration when seeing if an amp is powerful enough is the efficiency of your speakers, and how hard or easy they are to drive.
Does using XLR cables (double voltage output) mean I can use lower powered amplifiers?
Hi
Does using XLR cables (at 4V output from most dacs) vs RCA cables (with 2V output) mean that I have doubled the gain hence I only need half the power from amplifiers?
Just as a background I am looking for tube amplifers which typically are less powerful compared to solid state amplifiers. So I was wondering if using XLR connection rather than RCA mean that I can venture into lower powered amplifiers?
Or does the voltage input from the dac not matter/affect the power that a amplifier needs to drive the speakers?
Thanks!
Regards
Ben
Does using XLR cables (at 4V output from most dacs) vs RCA cables (with 2V output) mean that I have doubled the gain hence I only need half the power from amplifiers?
Just as a background I am looking for tube amplifers which typically are less powerful compared to solid state amplifiers. So I was wondering if using XLR connection rather than RCA mean that I can venture into lower powered amplifiers?
Or does the voltage input from the dac not matter/affect the power that a amplifier needs to drive the speakers?
Thanks!
Regards
Ben