What is Floyd Toole saying about extra amplifier power and headroom?


I've been reading Floyd Toole's "Sound Reproduction The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms" and came across a passage that I wish he went into further detail about. It has to do with whether having amplifier headroom has any noticeable improvement in sq. He happens to be talking about getting the bass right in small rooms, but in doing so, he also touches on the use of a larger amp for extra headroom: 

Remedies for unacceptable situations typically included spending more money on a loudspeaker with a “better” woofer (without useful technical specifications, that was a lottery of another kind) and a bigger amplifier (for useless headroom ...

It's the last part ("useless headroom") that I'm curious about. I have notoriously hard-to-drive speakers (Magico Mini IIs). Although the recommended amplification is 50w - 200w, in my experience, that's a bit of an underestimation. I'm driving the Minis with a Musical Fidelity M6PRX, which is rated at 230w @ 8ohms. (The Minis are 4ohm.) The combination sounds excellent to my ears at low to moderate listening levels, but I notice a slight compression in the soundstage at higher levels. My listening room, while small, is fairly well treated with DIY panels made from Rockwool, sound-absorbent curtains, and thick carpeting. So I don't think I'm overloading the room. But I have wondered if an amp with far more power than what's suggested (more headroom) would drive the speakers with a little less effort.

Those of you familiar with Toole or with driving speakers with power to spare, what are your experiences? If I went with, say, a pair of monoblocks that drive 600w @ 4ohm, would the extra headroom address the compression I'm hearing at higher levels? Or am I wasting my time and, potentially, funds that would be better spent elsewhere? 

Thanks!  


diamonddupree

Showing 2 responses by jollygreenaudiophile2

If you "like", the sound of the Mini-DSP? You will love this.
The K-231.
And, I have no affiliation with these guys other than using this crossover and being extremely happy with it 

https://sublimeacoustic.com/products/k231-stereo-3-way-active-crossover

Because "I" could not bear the mini's change in the soundstage in any rig I tried it in, "3". Plus a few other issue's.....
I found this little company three years ago and keep a couple of the "K-231's," around. "I have needed to cascade two of them a couple of times for a 5-way". VERY, "Well designed and with a clean, high quality build
American made still too! You can still call these guy's and they "will", call you back.  But these seem to be catching on so they are busy.....
I have been bugging them for a unit with an ext. case that is at least a, "Half-rack" space. "Instead of the little box. So it will have the room for both, RCA and also XLR, In/Out And those are supposed to be coming. But haven't heard about that for a bit.
  The K-231 has had both balanced and unbalanced in/out but the balanced side utilizes (1/4 "-TRS ), currently. "Instead of the XLR.'s". 
 The last two they made for me have nice quality "IEC sockets" also. But that, "May" still be an optional, "Mod".. As Mine were. I thought at first the freq. "Modules" would be a pain but as it turned out, I really like them. They made me a bit more "serious", about where the x-over points on a few projects really, "needed" to be. But now I have a box full of them. Ha ha, Looking back? Collecting the frequency modules? It felt akin to collecting, "Baseball" cards.....!
 
  Wow, I sound like a sales rep. "Shudders".....
 So, 
And, I have no affiliation with these guys other than using this crossover and being extremely happy with it 
It is, "Nifty".


Speaking of amps that will truly, "Double Down".
   The only one's, "theoretically" that will, that I know of are the Pass "Aleph 0's".
I had a pair of the, "Aleph 2" but I never really ran them hard.
 Very nice amps though.....
"Erik"?
 You mentioned a "Mythical" Krell, 50 watt amp also? Do you by any chance mean the KHA-100 mono-blocks? 
 I have a pair sitting here. And cannot seem to find anything much about them. Large though.