Newby question on watts...

Thanks for responses. The Hafler went to 170 watts @ 4 ohms. I am using 4 ohm speakers. The Audio Research has never listed their power into 4 ohms? I assume from the beef of the unit that it can easily handle these 4 ohm speakers?

I was a Hafler dealer in the days when the 220 was current, it was a good amp but is now dated. Tube amps have the transformers to couple to the speakers so they are not as sensitive to load impedance as transistors are. The bottom line is how it sounds to you. Tubes and transistors do not sound the same and some will like one and some another. You do not mention your speakers , every speaker reacts in a different manner to each amp , they should be considered as a unit because they represent a complex series of interactions , it is hard to speak of the sound of an amp or a speaker without speaking of the other half of the pair. Stan

Stanwal....
I was actually more curious in what I was getting out of my 48 lb amp over the 24lb Hafler receiver, because they both put out 100 watts@8 ohms(both of the same vintage). I was just wondering why a unit needed an extra 24 lbs. to put out the same wattage? Speakers are an old pair of ADS L710's I had rebuilt. Tubes don't really enter into equation. Thanks, Gary.