An amplifier power in Watts is not an absolute measure of power. A standard example, 50 watts in a tube amp can be equivalent to double of Watts in a solid state amplifier. My 5 Watts SET amplifier drives surprisingly good my 87 DB speakers, my normal listening level is less than 20 % of max volume. If you want a guaranteed outcome with a 50 Watts amplifier with your speakers choose a tube amplifier.
How much power needed to drive 91db speakers?
Sonus Farber lists the sensitivity of my speakers at 91 db SPL@ 1 meter @4 ohms. They also say I should use 50-450 watts of power. My PS Audio amps pump out 500 watts @4ohms, so the max isn’t a problem, but if I switched to something 15-50 class A watts, would that be more than enough power?
Thanks in advance.
Showing 2 responses by niodari
@curiousjim Take care of your ears. Above sone threshold, the louder you listen the more is the distortion, you can note this even in live performances, more in home audio. I didn't put that track on my system but I can try if you are interested in some particular performance issue. At this moment I'm listening to Mozart's symphony 41 on LP and would like to continue. This morning I listened to Ozzy Osbourne's late (2001) solo album. It is recorded too loud, I listened it also quite loud (my wife was not at home!) on my SS class d amplifier. The distortion during the recording session is quite notable. But it is somehow unavoidable in this kind of music. Surprisingly, some tracks on "Master of Reality" are better recorded. |