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Speaker power rating and amplification???

Stage one: I own a pair of B&W DM604 S2's that have a power rating on the rear of the speaker listed at 150W. Stage two: I have an Acurus A150 2 CH amp that has a power rating of 150W per CH. Question: Is this too much power for the speakers? What considerations need be addressed here. I also have an Acurus A80 with a rating of 80W per CH if the A150 is too much power. Any suggestions on how to correctly match power to speakers and are there any rules of thumb to be followed here? I don't want to do any damage to the speakers with too much power.

Thanks for your time and advice.
nissancrazy

Showing 1 response by mcpody

mcpody
73 posts
 
Check the efficiency rating on the B&W DM604s. If the rating is 87db or higher, either amplifier should drive the speakers efficiently without qualification. The A150 would probably provide a tighter grip with transients that demand higher power. Played at reasonable volumes, the A80 will drive the speakers effectively, but will not be quite as efficient. However, in many amplifier lines that I have auditioned, I find the more reasonably powered amps to be a tad sweeter sounding. I purchased a Threshold T-200 way back when, and preferred the musicality of this amp over the T-400, so I own 100 Class A watts per channel at 8 ohms. This amp puts out close to 200 watts per channel at 4 ohms.
I believe that your B&W speakers are rated 8 ohms. If they were 4 ohm speakers, they might be more difficult to drive and then the A150 would be the clear winner.
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