Exceding recommended power rating
Hi Folks,
I have a question about power ratings of speakers.
I have purchased a pair off Dynaudio Focus 360's which have a power handling rating of 300 watts at 4ohms.
The amplifier I would like to use with it is a Conrad Johnson Premier 350,which has a out put rating of 350 watts into 8 ohm's,and 600 watts into 4 ohm's.
My question is simple.Is the amplifier going to blow my speakers even if I never play it very loud?
I have seen reviews on here and other places where the reviewer has said they thought these speakers could take even 1200 watts.
This amplifier fits what I'am looking for,I just want to make sure I don't ruin my speakers.
thanks
knownothing1,673 posts I have ruined some tweeters before by over powering some bookshelf speakers and trying to use them outdoors as a PA system for a rugby party. Don’t try that. kn I will heed that advice. I guess I better not crank my bootleg copy of the Austrian Tongue Choir. | ||
ghdprentice7,671 posts The more watts you have... holding all other things the same... the better the first watt (or ten) will sound, especially with solid state. For me, loudness has nothing to do with why I have purchased high output amp... it is about the solidity and power when playing at normal volumes 60 - 80 db... not playing loud. I believe that with solid state amps, small transients can temporarily drain instantaneous power available. So, the more headroom the better they sound.
+1 Conrad Johnson
That makes sense to me. I know I hate driving a under powered car,and hearing it struggle just to pull away from every light. Thanks | ||
The more watts you have... holding all other things the same... the better the first watt (or ten) will sound, especially with solid state. For me, loudness has nothing to do with why I have purchased high output amp... it is about the solidity and power when playing at normal volumes 60 - 80 db... not playing loud. I believe that with solid state amps, small transients can temporarily drain instantaneous power available. So, the more headroom the better they sound.
+1 Conrad Johnson | ||
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No. Unless you accidentally crank it waaay up. Having more power in reserve is actually better than making an amp strain to deliver power to a speaker, esp3ecially if the speakers are hard to drive or have a very low sensitivity or need more current to come alive. Sit back and enjoy. Just don’t go crazy with the volume. You’ll likely start hearing some strain and compression from the speakers (and your ears) before you "blow" them. | ||
Having a big amp its sorta like having a V12 engine, loads of power but you're never going to be able to use it all. A big amp gives presence, the ability to handle everything that's thrown at it, including micro details. CJ are very well respected. | ||
Thanks,I don't drink anymore and that is when I used to get carried away with the volume. Just need to put a note next to the volume.Do Not Operate While Impaired!
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"That’s what I thought as I have read quite a few people who own these say they routinely put 600 watts through them." Using speakers with a 600 watt amp, doesn’t mean you are putting 600 watts "through" the speaker. The only way you will put the 600 watts through it, is if you turn it up to 11 and play Ravel’s "Bolero" or AC/DC’s greatest hits. Your ears will break long before the speakers. Besides, you don’t get speeding tickets because your car has 600 horsepower. You get a speeding ticket by flooring the accelerator.
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ghdprentice7,665 posts "I have powered my system with amps in great excess for decades. You do not want to try an exceed 120db ear splitting loudness... but more power nearly always sound better "
Yes,that’s what I being told.I have seen that in other posts,how when someone replaced their amp with one with more power,suddenly everything was better.I just wanted to make sure before I committed to it. Thanks | ||
Overpowering compact speakers means pushing the woofer beyond the limits of its range of motion. That makes a loud popping noise, which is unmistakable. As long as you don’t hear that, you’re good. Most speaker damage comes from ignoring the audible distortion caused by too little power to complete the waveform fully, a phenomenon known as “clipping”. | ||
There is only few percent of peak amp's power delivered with music, because average loudness (half) delivers 1/10 of peak power, while music has gaps. It depends on music - heavy orchestral pieces will bring higher average power, while Jazz trio will have almost none. I wouldn't be concerned about these ratings, unless you listen to sinewaves at full power. | ||
You're good to go! Hope you love the pairing. It's worth noting that you likely won't damage speakers by overpowering them but you can damage them by underpowering them. This seems counterintuitive but it's the reality. As you raise the output of an amp the distortion increases. As you get close to maximum output you are also getting maximum distortion. Distortion will kill speakers. | ||
