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Risk using amp Wattage than speaker rating?

I'd like to upgrade the amp for my Vandersteen 3A Sigs, but am a bit confused on whether or not I need to stay within the band of wattage (100 - 200 into 8 ohms) that is *strongly* recommended in the manual. I've read several articles/blogs/forum posts stating that exceeding the recommend power range for a loudspeaker system should be of a little concern, as long as you don't "push them too hard". What exactly does that mean? How much risk of damaging my speakers would there be if I used a 300 W/ch (into 8 ohms) amp with my speakers? I have a fairly large room, if that makes a difference. I appreciate any advice, as you all seem to be very knowledgeable about audio and have a lot of experience. Thanks, Rob
rtrauthwein

Showing 5 responses by csontos

csontos
1,311 posts
 
That just sounds like a poorly engineered driver. That thing would tear itself apart eventually even at moderate levels. The main concern in over driving a speaker is exceeding it's X-Max rating.
csontos
1,311 posts
 
Exactly. And when that distortion is being caused by an over driven amp, it's going to be excessive heat that literally "fries" your drivers. Mechans is dead on. Unlimited power eliminates this factor from the scenario. I would definitely not use a classical cd to see how far I could go with my speakers, but buzzing due to over driven speakers versus buzzing due to an over driven amp is way less dangerous. Just turn down the volume and be reasonable.
csontos
1,311 posts
 
Well, no need to be a fly on your wall, Elizabeth.
csontos
1,311 posts
 
I'm sure Elizabeth can handle a little levity. But all kidding aside, It is very easy to slowly fry your drivers too. It may still sound clean even though the amp is seriously clipping. In this case you won't end it with a bang, but turn it on the next time and the voice coils could be warped and rubbing or output is way down because a short has welded the coil in places. 30 years later, I still have a grudge against NAD for burning up my beautiful B&W DM7's in exactly this way.
csontos
1,311 posts
 
Patentable!!!
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