Audio peaks being measured can hit acoustic transient peaks up to 10 x the average from low to highs , That is why clean power for one is most preferable more so then just wpc ,that being said though more is better to have . transient distortions is what blow especially tweeters more times then anything else.
A little deeper on amp power please....
If somebody could elaborate on exactly how a higher watt amp will improve the sound of speakers (lower sensitivity speakers that “need” power). More specifically, I get that when the nature of the recording and the volume setting demand an immediate spike in power, an amp that delivers the spike will perform better than one that does not. But when I used to have an amp with output meters, it would be in single digits for most normal listening, and I don’t recall what a spike would have been - I want to say 15 or 20 watts. What I am scratching at is whether there is something more to power, i.e. the notion that the effortless power of, say, a 300 watt amp would somehow be an improvement over an otherwise similar 75 watt amp…even if a spike is just 20 watts. Hope the question make sense.
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Amps to speaker equations do seem complicated. Having 100wpc tube amps on 93 dB speakers seems enough for me. Although not knowing the phase angles and impedance of the speaker calls into question the compatability of the pairing, headroom should compensate. Dynamic range is such an important factor and those pesky peaks demand so much, having as many quality watts as possible, to me seems a good idea. Trying to get by with borderline power is just such an annoying proposition when it's time to crank it up. |
Here's an example that I hope sheds some light on your question. I have gone down the road of low sensitivity/difficult impedance speakers driven with a large amp. My Thiel CS6 speakers have an 86 dB sensitivity and the impedance drops below 3 ohms for a significant part of the frequency spectrum. They also present a difficult phase angle which requires a large amp that can supply high current. My Krell KSA 300S amp outputs 300 watts @ 8 ohms, 600 watts @ 4 ohms, 1200 watts @ 2 ohms, and 2400 watts @ 1 ohm. Very few amplifiers can do this. BTW, this amp weighs 185 lbs and when run loud gets hot enough so that the heat sinks glow in the dark (OK, I'm kidding about the glowing part but it's too hot to touch). When you hook up an amp to these speakers that is not designed to provide high current into lower impedances the amp acts like a tone control. For the CS6 the lowest impedance is in the upper bass/lower midrange region and the speakers would sound thin in the bass with a typical tube amp. Will the amp work? Sure, it will make sound. You may even like the sound but you are not hearing what the designer intended. The difference is not subtle. When I had my KSA 300S recapped I tried hooking up my CS6's to my 100 watt Onkyo AV receiver. I literally laughed out loud when I played the first cut. The sound was awful - the bass was anemic, the soundstage collapsed, and the dynamics were compressed - even at low volumes. BTW, this receiver sounds just fine driving a pair of Polk Audio speakers that have a more conventional sensitivity and impedance curve. Your Harbeths are low sensitivity but present an easy impedance curve which would allow you to experiment with low wattage amplifiers. I suspect these speakers would sound better with more watts but it would be an interesting comparison. Here's a good video by John DeVore about this subject. He designs high sensitivity speakers with flat impedance curves that are easy to drive. My Krell would be total overkill driving one of DeVore's models. DeVore Rant |
It has been so long that I can't remember where the original thought of more is better came from. Given that it's a good "more" not just crap. I went tri-amp a few decades ago and will never go back. At the moment using two Pass mono X260.8(s) and two Pass x30.8(s). I must say the sound is effortless and yes I really let it have at times. The beauty is that some thunderous bass doesn't change the mid or highs because they don't know what the hell is going on. Headroom is good for the soul. YMMV Regards, barts
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