How much power is to much power?

Likely the areas where you will have the most need for additional power is in large orchestral classical pieces. This is due to the wide dynamic range of such pieces. But the difference between a 140 watt amp and a 200 watt amp is not going to matter a whole lot. For example. when I listen to a Beethoven symphony, the sound peaks of about 105 db spl draw right at 400 watts from a mcintosh amp. However, a good portion of the non peaks draw less than 40 watts and the quieter parts are in the 0.4 to 4 watt range. I state this a an indication that the benefits of the extra power come in more when there is an order of magnitude or more difference between what is available. Does one really need that much power? Not in my opinion, I just like it. My own bottom line for what its worth, which is based only on my subjective philosophy, is so long as you have enough power to be able to hear the quietest part of a work, and, without changing the volume setting, the loudest (or most power hungry - which will be a lot of bass) part of that work does not result in clipping, you have enough power to appreciate the music. The best test I can think of offhand is Mahler's 2nd.

When you get away from big orchesteral works and particularly if you are listening to music without a lot of bass, for example a piano sonata, your power requirements are drastically reduced.

One solution to get some of the best of both worlds, is pick up a pair of decent headphones for the occasions where you want to listen to something at higher volumes than your amp may be able to provide.

In sum, I would not make the choice of the two amps you mentioned based on the difference in their power specs but rather on how they sound to you at listening levels that they support.

Remember, also, that some opinions as to what is desirable are extreme, especially where it comes to power and loudness. In a perfect world I'd have an amp and speakers that could go to 140 db. - problem is that I know me and I know that all I'd be hearing inside of a year is ringing due to tinnitus from acoustic trauma.

As Newbee say, listen.

During you listening sessions include music with heavy, low bass, including synth, acoustic bass and electric bass. Quite often, switching from one amp to another is very noticeable in the bass.

Dave

FWIW the difference in power, translated into db's from your speakers is about 1 1/2 dbs. hardly audible to many people even when they are listening well within the power range. For example if you clipped at aprox 140 wts you'd be producing peaks of aprox 113db. At 200 wts you'd be producing peaks of about 114db. To get exposed to those kind of peaks you be listening to an average constant SPL in the high 90's. Tell me you NOT doing that!

I'd ignore the difference and get the best sounding one. I sure wouldn't pay a lot of money to get the extra power capability. And, if you need some current to drive a hard load, a high current amps with a rated output of 50wts would still be more than you would probably ever use.

BTW Phaelon is right (except that I have 92db speakers and, unlike him, I'm happy driving my speakers, in my home, with 40wt and I have done well with 86db speakers and 50wts). You do need to take speaker impedence/phase issues into consideration when you are selecting an amp to drive them.

FWIW, if you've got the money, and you are not giving up sound quality, having high power reserves in not a bad thing. But high power high quality amps cost a disproportionate amount of money for the power you get but don't use.

Reynaud Twin Signatures, will possibly upgrade to Reynaud Offrande in the not to distant future. The amps in question are vintage Accuphase c-200/p-200.

I'm using 1000 watts into 4 ohms for my 91dB speakers. It's not a matter of speaker sensitivity or loudness, it's a matter of controlling the drivers. Speakers like Vienna Acoustics, B&W, Wilson, Dali and others have the best overall and bass response when the amp really damps and controls the large drivers, so, with these type speakers, generally more power will equal more control and better sound.

OTOH, some speakers are so efficient, approaching 100dB that you can drive the speaker with 10 watts and really control it with less than 100 watts.

What speakers are you driving?

Dave

to much power.......sounds like a toast, to me.

My speakers are 92 db efficient and I use 700 wpc monoblocks. I do not listen loud, but these speakers have a notoriously difficult load and need a lot of current.

The SS amps that you are comparing may not be different or the 140 wpc may have more actial power. Check out Levinson 33H "150 wpc" amps as an extreme example.

What amps are you looking at and what speakers do you have and how big is your room.

Very difficult to have 'too much power'....But why bother?
You have fairly hi sensitivity speakers. 50 or 60 hi-quality watts should do the trick, unless you want to induce ear bleeds.

While we're waiting for some of Audiogon's more technically astute members to respond, I can tell you that based on my experiences, the 91db specification doesn't tell the whole story when determining amplifier compatibility. Your speakers impedance needs to be taken into consideration too. That information can be hard to get. The manufacturer will probably give you a nominal and minimum resistance value but a plot covering the speaker's entire frequency range would be much more useful. FWIW, my current speakers are rated slightly higher than 91db and I couldn't be happier that I moved up from 70W to 200W amps.

I listen to primarily classical (from piano to orchestral) and rock. My room is a loft, about 700sf with high ceilings and 30 feet of windows, it's definitely a live room. I've a few acoustical treatments, but nothing major (nor do I want more). So 200 watts is not necessarily necessary but it's also not a bad thing? Correct?

What kind of music do you listen to? How would you descibe your room (dead/live). What furnishings & acoustical treatments do you have? How big is your listening room?