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How many watts is your Amplifier @8ohms

How Many Watts is Your Amplifier @8 ohms

  • Total voters
    426
I don't think it's related to low or high power. It has to do with the fact that the first 5 watts of any amplifier are the most important (quality). The fact that your speakers are more efficient than most is why you do need much power to make your ears bleed :)

That said, I know what you mean. I had 6 Yamaha M85's bridged and Tri-Amped many years ago. My current Yamaha A-S2100 bridged with my A-S2000 (bi-amp) won't play as loud, but sounds much better. Reason being, better design (amplifier topology).
 
PastorTube said:
Questions on power. I had a CJ MV75 75 Watts per channel. I had a dynaco st-70 35 Watts per channel. Now I have a Single ended ultralinear amp (diy with modifications) using 1 6550 per channel. I get around 9 watts measured using an 8 ohm dummy load. I can’t even max out the amp when my speakers are connected.

I understand the idea that higher power amps have more “headroom” for transients. But my 9watt amp appears to be more than enough. My speakers are very effiectient 98db


Help me understand why / how lower power amps can sound better than higher power amps. I have heard this with low power 300b amps as well.
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Some amps are just "cleaner" in the signal processing.. and others are designed to amplify to higher power ranges, given they are provided a clean signal.

Truth be told, many amps are given a bad rap because the signal processing is either inadequate or poorly channeled.

I believe the old saying.. "garbage in.. garbage out" can yet apply to this outcome as well.
 
That is the thing with amps and receivers. I have heard remarkable sound reproduction coming from modestly powered units (30 wpc and lower). The biggest difference are the speakers and the acoustics of the room. A great set of efficient speakers will work wonders for any good quality unit, whereas a poor set of speakers will make even the most powerful units sound anemic.

Where the wattage comes into play is when you need greater definition in music, and of course volume. Definition in low frequency notes (bass notes that breathe in addition to reaching the low sounding notes), the force in the sound of hard hitting notes like percussion and bass guitars, all respond more effectively with greater wattage. In some settings, extra wattage may not be quite as significant. You will appreciate higher wattage units with media that is challenging to reproduce (low recording levels, very low frequency notes, etc.), large spaces, and situations similar to studio monitoring.
 
DOn't have anything 500+ or anything 101-200. Got at least one of all the rest.

0.1-10 - Fisher Philharmonic
11- 50 - Magnavox 9300, Madison-Fielding / Hammond mix'n'match, Sherwood S-5500II, Fisher TA-600, Sherwood S-7000, Pilot SA-260, Bogen DS-225, Sherwood S-9900
51-100 - Bogen MO-100a, Allied 495,
201 - 500 - Phase Linear Pro 700

Interesting that the vote distribution is a bell curve that tracks power level. Of course the most popular one, I don't have one of.
 
1 watt, but never got past it. I listen to headphones almost exclusively. I don't think the VU meter ever hit 1 watt, which is incredibly loud on a headset.
 
Six 130-ish Watt mono blocks pushing drivers that range between 103db sensitive at 12 ohms, 110dB at 8 ohms and 107dB for the woofer, mid and tweeters, respectively. It may be overkill, as they’ve never seen even a full watt, but it works like a charm just the same.
 
Voted based on my Yamaha P3500S. Do powered monitors with Hypex plate amps and 600 total watts per side count?

I also have a Dayton AA battery powered amp - guessing 5 wpc maybe? - plus a few others in the middle somewhere.

A surprisingly large number like big watts. Does my heart good. :rockon:
 
C Hart said:
Voted based on my Yamaha P3500S. Do powered monitors with Hypex plate amps and 600 total watts per side count?

I also have a Dayton AA battery powered amp - guessing 5 wpc maybe? - plus a few others in the middle somewhere.

A surprisingly large number like big watts. Does my heart good. :rockon:
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I love it when I turn the amps on, from cold, and the house lights go dim for a split second.

Mine now have logic sensor circuits that keep the main caps charged to avoid those early-morning big influxes.
 
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Home DTS theater suite was running 3 Crest CA-6 at 300 per chan into 8, and one CA-9 at 450 per chan into 8. Downsized a bit when we moved - 75 or so per, still 7+1 DTS plus a separate music system at about 210 per into 8. (Outdoor system is triamp, Crest 9001 on low and subs at 1200 per at 8, and 7001 on combined mid/high at 560 per into 8, and 4x Crest 7001 biamping monitors. It kills . . . ).
 
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HK770 - 65
CA CXA81 - 80
Yamaha - CR2040 - 125
Rotel - RX803 - 70
NAD - 3150 - 50
Yamaha - ax570 - 100
Sony TA-F55 - 65
Philips - 30
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My :
-Hafler xl-600 305 wpc
-Hafler xl-280 145 wpc
-ARC D400 200 wpc
-Rotel RB-1092 500 wpc
-Accuphase P20 70 wpc
-Adcom gfa-5500 200 wpc
Adcom gfa-545 100 wpc
-Crestron cnampx 7x200 200 wpc x seven channels
-Mitsubishi da-a15dc 150 wpc (have 2)
-Belles OCM-200 100 wpc
-RBH SA-400 1 channel @ 400 wpc (have 3)
-ICEpower 1000as1 500 wpc (built two amps)


And so many Rotel…….
 
Pro amp, not suitable for home use: Master Audio TP1502 (a 3 channel amp & processor): Stereo outputs, 200W per channel at 8 Ω. Subwoofer channel, 550W at 8 Ω.
Vintage pro amp, suitable for home use: Stage Accompany 900B: Stereo outputs, 280W per channel at 8 Ω.
HiFi amp, TEAC A-H500i: 50W per channel at 8 Ω.
 
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