Is my amp "High Current"?


Hi, I own a McCormack DNA 0.5 amp that has been upgraded to rev. A at SmC Audio. I read about speakers benefiting from using a high current amp, and was wondering if mine was considered to be one.

Thank you.
koestner
Nsgarch, if a speaker needs big voltage (say 40 v) to drive it to a certain level then that is what it needs, and the subsequent power that it needs will follow if the amp can supply the current. The tube amp will give it that voltage (40V) and what ever current is necessary up to its power limits. If the speaker needs 40V and 100watts to produce that certain level, then the amp will supply the 2.5 amps x 40 Volts quite easily. The 40V requirement and 100watts requirement are fixed by the speaker. The amp can't decide that, because it can't produce 40V but can supply 25V at 4 amps thus 100watts, it will do that. As long as the voltage demand and power demand are within the tube amp's specifications, the voltage will not be be dragged down by the load. This not the case with SS, unless it is capable of increasing its amps into lower loads in order to make up for the increased power demand. That is why dynamic speakers are considered more 'current' driven.
At any rate, as you have said there is not much current involved in electrostatics, therefore it is varying Voltage that drives them. Electrodynamics, due to the varying current demands along with the varying voltage driving them, are more current driven. This the opposite to what you have contended.
Inpep, you still appear to misunderstand the the terms voltage, power and current, and more important, how they relate to each other. If you will spend some time with this site:
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/index.html
until these relationships are second nature, you will understand what I am trying to say.

Speakers (with voice coils, and primarily woofers) need power (watts) if it takes work to move them (power = voltage x current.) BUT, they need those watts (power) to come primarily from a larger reservoir of voltage since voltage drops as power is consumed. An ESL needs power too, but from a reservoir of current. As the frequency rises and the impedance drops, yes, they need power too, but they are going to draw current out of those watts to maintain the strength of the static charge on the membrane. They don't need volts for that!

All amplifiers supply BOTH increasing voltage AND current as the volume (input signal to the amp) is increased. The maximum output of the amp (in watts) is a product of its max. voltage times its max. current, and those two can be in ANY proportion. But with tube amps, current is usually in larger proportion to voltage than in ss amps where it's the reverse. I just don't know how to say it any more clearly.
.
Nsgarch, this discussion is getting nowhere precisely for the reason that you think that my understanding of power etc. is faulty, when in fact I can say the same for your understanding.
I guess my fault is in trying to explain in layman's terms what the relationship is among power, potential and current.
let's leave it at that.
One lat note, though. I am not the only person who pointed out that your understanding was reversed.
respectfully, Bob p.
Bob, so far, no one has explained just what it is that's "reversed" about my description(s). I am just using Ohm's Law as it exists for all circuit design. And although I'm still confused as to the point you're making, my point is simply that if you are driving an ESL, you can enjoy equal performance with either a ss or a tube amp, but you'll have a lower electric bill (use less watts) using the tube amp. Conversely, if you want to drive a speaker with a lot of electomagnetic drivers, a SS amp will use a lot less power (from the electric company) than a tube amp capable of delivering equivalent performance. Maybe I didn't make that clear at the beginning ;-)
That the discussion was about about amp efficiencies, no you hadn't made that clear.
Tube amplifiers are always less efficient in producing power, it is inherent to their nature and independent of the speaker load or type (ESL or dynamic). I.e., for the same power output, tube amps consume more power (from the electric company) than a SS, even a Class A SS.