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Recommended amplification

I still don't get it.

I'm listening to a pair of Vandersteen 3A Signatures with a recommended amplification of 100-200 watts in a small, 13x14 listening room with a 10 watt Class A amp (SMSL VMV A1) and they sound just fine.  Plays as loud as I'd ever listen to with ease, has control of the bass, soundstages well and generally sounds pretty fantastic.

I guess maybe dynamics but the music I listen to doens't go from pppp to fffff very often, if ever at all.  I've found this to be the case with all of my speakers, regardless of their recommended amplification levels.  I'm probably only using a watt or two, if at that, for most of my music listening.  

So why do speaker manufacturers even list the recommended amplification numbers, does anyone know?

Thanks in advance.

128x128audiodwebe
ghdprentice
7,046 posts
 

@bjesien

+1

My history was to use larger, higher current & power amps and to be rewarded with greater dynamics and soundstage each time. There are two aspects. Quality and quantity of the amplification. I always moved up in both… and it was always cost effective for me. 
 

Tubed amplification is very different in virtually all respects. The base requirements and slope of the line on parameters. 

mark200mph
212 posts
 

While distortion is a speaker killer along with heat in the speaker voice coil .the manufacture gives guidelines for protection and so you don't get mad at them and write nasty blogs. It is true transients can require alot of watts. I have big monoblocks that never clip due to using not at thier max which is where clipping occures.yes I watch the mcintosh 1.25 run at 1 watt and sometimes wounder why I have up to 4k in transients.if you are driving inefficient speakers then you would use the wattage. Enjoy the music and the experiments

gano
154 posts
 

why do speaker manufacturers even list the recommended amplification numbers

it reminds of windows always recommending a ton of RAM and hard drive space, for the IT economy to grow nicely

jl35
4,014 posts
 

My Vandersteen 3A's typically sounded fine with 50 watt amp, but with some music really came alive with 200 high current watts...I'm sure if I used them in a small room, at lower volume, and less dynamic music...their recommendations are simply a general guideline for most listeners, not an absolute...

yyzsantabarbara
4,881 posts
 

If a speaker manufacturer recommends higher power, then what likely will happen with higher power is a more powerful and dynamic sound. You can get good sound with the lower power amp, but it will not be as powerful or forceful with music that calls for that grunt. This applies to a small room too.

For example, Led Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks. Listening to that song on my higher power requirement speakers with the lower powered Benchmark AHB2 vs the CODA #16 is a huge study on contrasts. Both sound good but with the CODA you feel the music in your bones. 

If you are listening to Sarah McLachlan (as I am typing this) it does not matter if I used the AHB2 or the CODA #16.

 

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