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Watts! How many do we need?

Got a new amp. Accuphase P-4600. It’s great. I love it. 
150 watts into 8 ohms, 300 watts into 4 ohms and it has meters so I can see wattage. Have them set on freeze so I can see the highest wattage during the session.

My Harbeth speakers are not very efficient. Around 86db. Their impedance is an even 6 ohms dipping no lower than 5.8 ohms. 

Playing HiRes dynamic classical recordings  ( Tchaikovsky , Mahler) at room filling volumes I have yet to exceed 1watt.. 

Amps today offer a lot of watts some going to 600 even 1200 watts. Even if you have inefficient speakers with an impedance that dips down to 2 ohms do we need all this wattage or should we be focusing on current instead? 

jfrmusic

Showing 1 response by audiodwebe

audiodwebe's avatar
audiodwebe
252 posts
 

I don't think you need that many watts to drive most speakers.  I was using a 10 watt class A amp to drive a pair of Super Tablettes (86 db I think) in a 13x14 listening room with zero issues.  So then I thought, "What the hell!" and put in my 2A3 integrated amp.  Still no issues and the speakers sound great.

Maybe my musical choice isn't demanding?  I normally don't listen above 85db or so in volume.

In the past I would have been afraid to try this combo in fear I might damage something.  But I guess as I get older I take all the experts' advice as they really are...an opinion.  And you know what they say about opinions.

This combo works for me.

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