Watts! How many do we need?

Let’s assume the meters are not very accurate. How much off are they? By a factor of 10 so 10 watts peak? Or by a factor of 20 so 20 watts peak? And then we make the sound twice as loud (+3db). Now 20 or 40 watts.  Sill far below the amount of watts modern amps are offering. 

@ghdprentice 

I’m puzzled by your experience. I don’t doubt it but since current x volts equals watts. What you are describing is that lower current sounds better. So something else is going on when you switch to high watts. 

@bpoletti 

That’s the issue I was addressing. The meters in my amp are set to freeze at the highest peak reached. So at the end of the night when I check them they never exceed 1 Watt. And that’s with me listening to full Classical orchestral recordings at  room filling volume that are very dynamic.  So even my large peaks  that are  musically dynamic do not move the meter past 1 watt. 

It’s a new Accuphase amp and the meters are accurate. The amp is rated at 150 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 300 into 4 ohms. I think we are all using a lot fewer watts than we think even  in peaks. 

Peaks are between 75 and 80db. I’m sitting and measuring about 8 feet from the speakers which are 7 feet apart. They are almost 3 feet from front wall and are 5 feet from side walls. Plenty of opportunities for sound absorption. The room is 17 x 15 and is carpeted and is not what I would call a live room as it has furniture as well. The peaks are as loud as I would want and doubling the loudness would apparently require 2 watts. When would I ever need 10 watts let alone 150? BTW these peaks I hear are produced effortlessly with a balanced presentation. No instruments or frequencies are emphasized. It’s a smooth delivery. 

@macg19 

I have the C7ES-XD Harbeths 

@bigtwin 

Thanks that was an interesting article. 
 

@macg19 

Yes exactly how I feel  The amp reproduces the peaks effortlessly. No sounds of straining or harshness.  The entire frequency range just gets louder with no over emphasis of upper frequencies A very even response  

@westcoastaudiophile

That is my exact question. The meters never exceed 1 watt. Some here have said they are not accurate and don’t record peaks but I have them set to freeze at peaks. 

@westcoastaudiophile

Where did you see that the P4600 is Class A up to 20W?

@westcoastaudiophile

The specs on their site say 6 transistors per channel. Still don’t see how you com to this conclusion. They don’t mention any Class A wattage. 

Ok I’ll send them an email. They’re very responsive

@westcoastaudiophile

Yep that's what I was looking at. 6 transistors per channel. Now I would be happy if I was getting 10 watts per channel in Class A. Please direct to where this is noted.

@weatcoastaudiophile

Still don’t understand how you calculated your number from those specs but you were on the money. Here’s the response from Accuphase. 
 

The actual amount of Class A bias for the P-4600 is not a fixed amount and will vary depending on the load of the speaker.  For most speakers it should have around 8W – 10W of class A bias but that could be less for speakers if they have less than 4 ohm impedance.  The exact method for how Accuphase applies bias to its output transistors is considered proprietary information and they do not allow us to publish more than that.

@westcoastaudiophile

As a follow up I guess I’m mostly running in Class A since I have not been able push my meters pass 1 watt. 

My Speakers are Harbeth C7ES-XD at 86db sensitivity. They are rated at up to 150 watts. Their impedance is 6 ohms with the lowest at 5.8 ohms. So an easy drive. But I've been told they like power. The Accuphase P4600 is rated at 150 watts per channel at 8 ohms and 300 watts at 4 ohms and the amp is probably capable of delivering 225 watts per channel at 6 ohms. I have them positioned in a well furnished carpeted room about 7 feet apart and 30" out from the front wall very slightly toed in. I sit about 8-9 ft from them. I have the meters set to freeze at the highest output and they have never exceeded 1 watt so far. Now I don't listen at some of the levels some of you do. My sound pressure meter never exceeds 75 db and is mostly between 60 and 70 db. If the meters are accurate I'm in Class A all the time and the amp is not breaking a sweat.