how can low watt tube amps drive speakers with higher power requirements


I am new to hifi and I am super confused about something. Most audio blogs out there ask newbies to stick to amps that output power within the recommended range of the speaker manufacturers. However, on forums, blogs and even some magazine articles, I find pros reviewing tube amps with much lower output power (even in some cases 10-30W below the speaker specs) and find no problems. How can these low power tube amp drive these speakers? For example, the LS 50 metas spec sheet says "Recommended amp power: 40W - 100W) but I have seen posts here and on other forums where people will hook these up to tube amps producing as low as 12W of power at 8 ohms. Am I missing something?
selekt86

Showing 1 response by cat_doorman

If you push an amp into clipping trying to eek out more volume from an undersized amp then you can damage a speaker. A monster sized amp means it’s still just barely ticking over at volume likely to make your ears bleed. You’re more likely to damage your hearing than your speakers with too much amp.

There are SPL meter apps you can download for your phone. Check how loud your typical listening level is. Add 10dB for dynamic headroom and calculate how much amp you need. There are calculators online to help you compensate for distance and room reinforcement. Be careful believing published specs. Sometimes they are optimistic. Also there can be adjustment for impedance and whether the spec is given as 1W or 2.83V (1W @ 8 ohm).