Question about high current amps versus "not high current amps"


Recently I read a reply to a post about a certain speaker, and the person who replied typed that (and I am going to paraphrase somewhat) the speaker required a high current amp to perform well and it wasn’t the WPC that was important.

Sorry as I am afraid that these are probably going to be  "audio electrical questions for dummies," but here goes:

I vaguely remember being taught the PIE formula, so I looked it up online for a quick review and if I am understanding it correctly,

P (power/watts) = I (current/amps) x E (electromotive force/voltage) .

My first question would be: if I am understanding that correctly, how can wpc NOT matter since watts are the sum of current x voltage? I mean if you have so many WPC, don’t you then HAVE to have so much current?

My next question would be, if I am understanding PIE correctly, is E/voltage going to be a fixed 110 vac out of the wall, or is that number (E) determined by the transformer (so it would vary by manufacturer) and it is that (different transformers that are used in different amps) going to be the difference between a high and a lower current amp?

Or am I completely off base thinking that P is wpc and P is actually the spec in my owners manual that lists "power consumption as 420 watts operate 10 watts stand by"?

And lastly, what would be an example of a high current amp and what would be an example of a low current amp?

Thanks.

 

immatthewj

Showing 1 response by puptent

@atmasphere 

Thank you for the lesson, very useful. I was a Ground Radio Repairman in the USAF. My impedance training was focused on matching antennae to transmitters (along with other factors). A visual "test" of radios, like a big SSB, was the size and number of capacitors. We paid attention to impedance matching. Along with the characteristics of the antenna termination... open, capacitance, resistance, inductive , etc. I've forgotten 90% of what I learned (it was so very long ago). But for my humble needs, if the manufacturer lists power output to the speakers as doubling, or nearly so, from 8 ohm to four and again to two ohms, it is a high current amplifier. If you open the hood, large transformers, and large capacitors are a visual clue. Do not get across the terminals of a large cap and ground without discharging the cap. The potential (voltage) can kill, which explains the "No User Serviceable Parts"  stickers.

Not just any speaker will perform its best with just any amp.