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What is your experience with amp power?

So I wanted to know what my fellow audiophiles feel about power.

I realize that some speakers are current hounds and need a prodigious amount of power or watts (lets say Maggies). But my question is for speakers that do not. Speakers that are easy to drive, or maybe just higher in efficiency and can be driven by a modest tube amp or even an adequate receiver. 

What is you experience with high power, high current amps ? Do your speakers sound better with more power? At low volumes, in a small or medium sized room? Do you think the quality of the music is dependent on higher powered amps?

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Showing 2 responses by spaceguitarist

spaceguitarist
30 posts
 

The power of audio amplifiers

The best and most complete article ever written about the power of audio amps With focus on hifi.

spaceguitarist
30 posts
 

Considering that you use a well designed amp that can provide 6dB dynamic headroom : for Hifi listening you will **NEVER** need more than 2x50W RMS/continuous 0.5%THD-20Hz-20KHz ( 6dB dynamic headroom ~ 2x200W dynamic power) to drive the most demanding speakers (most demanding speakers are usually the small "low sensibility" bookshelves)

If you need more than 2x50W RMS : then you are either doing "sound system" - not Hifi (it’s not bad to seek "sound for the whole room", but it’s not Hifi listening); ... or it means that your amp is not designed for Hifi (Usually high end Hifi amps have a good dynamic power, but I’ve seen amps costing more than 10K$ with specifications that I wouldn’t validate for Hifi listening : these are sound system amps).

For sound system : the amp should provide at least 2x200W RMS at less than 0.5%THD, but it varies with the room size , so you may wan 2x500W RMS for a very large room. Room size is only a matter for "sound system", for Hifi room size is not relevant as you will always listen at 3~4 meters at the sweet spot in Hifi !!!! (else it's not hifi).

 

Everything is explained here :

 

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