How loud can I 'safely' play my Dynaudio Focus 140


Hello folks,

A random question from a total newbie. Did a quick search here but, still had some lingering questions so here goes.

Just recently traded in a pair of Dynaudio Audience 42s for a pair of Focus 140s and was wondering how loud I can crank these guys up without stressing them out. I don't have a fancy powerful amp but, I tend to listen to music at a fairly loud level and was curious as to if that listening style hurts the speakers at all. To clarify, when I mean loud, it isn't to the point where the sound gets distorted and I can't hear myself think so I'm assuming everything is cool but, I wanted to see what others think.

What are the rules of thumb when it comes to taking care of speakers? Are there any tell tale signs to look out for in order to avoid frying a tweeter or blowing a woofer out aside from obvious sonic distortions?

On a random side note, if anybody has any suggestions on a great amp to match the Focus 140s with please let me know!

Just started working on putting together a stereo system and so far loving every minute of it!

Thanks!!
ucsb21

Showing 1 response by mlsstl

A lot depends on what you mean by "loud". These days, playing in the mid 80 dB range sounds pretty loud to me. However, some people would be in the 100 dB range before they think the music is loud.

Consider buying an inexpensive sound level meter from Radio Shack (about $50 or so) and see just how loud your preferred level really is.

Dynaudio says the Focus 140 is a 4 ohm speaker with a sensitivity of 86 dB. They are not a speaker a head-banger would normally choose. The 4 ohm impedance can be challenging for some amps, and sensitivity is a bit on the low side.

The best advice is to simply watch for any distortion that is a sign of clipping as clipping is the real speaker killer. Back off the volume the second you hear any signs of distress.