@russ69 I would assume that this would concatenate filters affecting not only attenuation, but also the slope dB/octave, unless filters are very far off crossover points to remove, for instance, lowest frequency (high energy) from tube amp. I suspect that this might be OP's objective. Either way it doesn't matter if sound is to his liking.
Eminent Technology 8b Speakers - Amp/wattage Recommendations
I recently purchased a nearly new pair of 8bs. I am now looking for an amplifier.
My preference is tubes over SS.
The room is 23x15x10 feet dedicated for music.
I like to play music fairly loud at times.
I will likely biamp, meaning whatever tube amp I end up using will receive a high-pass filtered signal and drive only the mid and high freq panel drivers.
I am aware that Bruce T recommends 75-200 watts.
I am considering two options, (a) Quicksilver KT monos with KT150 tubes (100 watts) and (b) another amp by a boutique builder using 4 KT 120 per side and 120 watts.
My preference is option (a), but worry that 100 watts is not sufficient.
I would appreciate any real-world experience on how many watts is practically needed with the 8bs. Are they as power hungry as I think they are, or is 100 watts more than enough?
Does bi-amping make a difference, meaning one can get away with using less watts since you are driving only the mids/high drivers and not the subs?
Any feedback or suggestions from 8b users would be appricated.
Thanks much!
Showing 3 responses by kijanki
I would think it might be good assumption, but I'm not sure about tube amps. It would be better to ask tube amp experts like atmasphere. |
Your speakers sensitivity is 83dB at 1W. Sitting at 4m distance is equivalent to 12dB drop, but second speaker adds 3dB and room reflections another 3dB. In the end it it will be 77dB loud at 1W, 87dB at 10W, 97dB at 100W. It might a bit less drop than 6dB for double distance since electrostatic panel is not a point source, but it is hybrid, so I'm not sure. I would still assume 97dB loud at 100W to be safe. 97dB is very loud but choice depends on your normal listening levels. Average power delivered to speakers is very low (few percent of the peak power), unless you listen to continuous sinewaves, but peaks are important. I would go for 200W at 8ohm to be safe, but it will add only 3dB while theoretically 100W amp, on average, should be better than 200W amp costing the same. Tough choice. The best would be to borrow and try. If you bi-amp with different amplifiers be sure to match gains. If you plan to use xover filtering before the amp then how you disable crossover inside of the speakers? |