How many watts?
- Thread starter Mrgooch
- Start date
Not sure I get the question. Do you mean how many WPC should your amp have, or how many WPC do you usually listen at, or something else altogether?
My feeling is get the best amp you can afford. Since better amps tend to have higher WPC then it usually means a getting a high WPC amp. But judging an amp merely by its WPC is sort of like judging a car only by its horsepower. Amps with high WPC also tend to be better in many other areas as well. Better build quality, lower distortion, more flexibility, etc, etc. So my feeling is higher WPC amps tend to give you pluses in many other areas as well. Remember just because you have a high WPC amp doesn't mean you can only listen to it at 130 db anymore than having a car with high horsepower means you have to do all your driving at 130mph.
My feeling is get the best amp you can afford. Since better amps tend to have higher WPC then it usually means a getting a high WPC amp. But judging an amp merely by its WPC is sort of like judging a car only by its horsepower. Amps with high WPC also tend to be better in many other areas as well. Better build quality, lower distortion, more flexibility, etc, etc. So my feeling is higher WPC amps tend to give you pluses in many other areas as well. Remember just because you have a high WPC amp doesn't mean you can only listen to it at 130 db anymore than having a car with high horsepower means you have to do all your driving at 130mph.
hewlew1
Active Member
Its cool ugornot. I find that with my D-9's it is a matter of tuning. My Carver preamp has bass, mid, and treble tone controls. Those used in conjuntion with the L-pads on the speakers tend to taper off the harshness in the mid and high end of the speakers. Bass is another story with the control set at 9 oclock that is less than flat response I can make the floor bounce. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone. Harry
Tapehead47
Addicted Member
I have a 200wpc amp now because my 125wpc amp was pegged too often. I think a little headroom is important to prevent clipping.
www.records
Quality over Quantity
I could get by with 2 watts, but have 40. Watt a waste.
depends on the sensitivity of the speakers mrgooch, mine being mid to high 90dB's, I'll probably never use 10watts!
I think this sums it up. Wasn't the question How Many Watts Per Channel? Not the max power output, that's not sustainable. I rarely use more than 5 WPC.
Separates are the way to go folks.
dnewma04
The Healer
Sensitivity is only part of the equation. While Greg may never use 10w on average, if he threw some classical music on his system once in a while (i don't know if he would), I'd be willing to bet he goes well over 10w on peaks.
I would say that listening levels and musical tastes will dictate the goal. If you have the sensitivity, you can determine the power. If you have the power available you can calculate the necessary sensitivity. If you don't have either, you can choose your path.
I would say that listening levels and musical tastes will dictate the goal. If you have the sensitivity, you can determine the power. If you have the power available you can calculate the necessary sensitivity. If you don't have either, you can choose your path.
Fast_Eddie
Upper-middle fi
I have about 420 watts in my office right now. Of course, that's four different receivers. lol
In playing around with different speakers, I find that 40 or 50 wpc seems to suite me nicely. More is always nice, but at around that level, it seems like you've got some power to play with. My main system has 200 wpc, my smallest daily use system has 18.
Take care,
Ed
In playing around with different speakers, I find that 40 or 50 wpc seems to suite me nicely. More is always nice, but at around that level, it seems like you've got some power to play with. My main system has 200 wpc, my smallest daily use system has 18.
Take care,
Ed
I play classical and almost never go over 10 WPC. And I use a 200 WPC Amp.
dnewma04
The Healer
ok :scratch2: I'm not sure how to respond. Are you disputing my post or just making a general observation?
I agree with what others have said about watts (even honest RMS watts) not all being equal. My Sansui AU-999 will destroy my father's Onkyo TX-8511 (not BPC, but cheap modern mid-fi). The AU-999 puts down 50wpc 20-20khz; the Onkyo really makes about 70. However, the Sansui has a far more robust power supply; you can push it to the edge and it still sounds great. Turn the Onkyo up and it just runs out of gas. Another example: the Sansui G-9700 is "modestly" rated at 200wpc. IIRC, EchoWars recently tested one at an incredible 280wpc. That human-head-sized toroidal transformer is there for a reason.
I don't need the brochure to say it puts down 9,000 watts per channel. All I require is that its advertised power rating mates with the sensitivity of the speakers, and that the weight and build quality of the amp jives with the specifications.
That said, I like to blow out windows, so no Advent receiver is going to cut it with a pair of typically sensitive speakers (89-91 db). I have enough power when the speakers can't take any more and I still have plenty of headroom.
I don't need the brochure to say it puts down 9,000 watts per channel. All I require is that its advertised power rating mates with the sensitivity of the speakers, and that the weight and build quality of the amp jives with the specifications.
That said, I like to blow out windows, so no Advent receiver is going to cut it with a pair of typically sensitive speakers (89-91 db). I have enough power when the speakers can't take any more and I still have plenty of headroom.
If you are playing music in the let's say 20-40 WPC Range, you are shaking the walls. Literally. Sure you can do it. But I will bet almost nobody does on here for at least any sustained period of time. Why would you do this anyway. Deaf, or just trying to become that way. Or do you have a very large room?
giant-rider
Rock Lobster
6 good watts.
dnewma04
The Healer
I was careful to specify "peak" vs average watts. Even if Bolly listened at an average of 25mW, something like 1812 Overture would have peaks over 10w. I know he listens to techno, which is generally VERY heavily compressed with crest factors typically in the 6-8dB range. With that, I wouldn't be at all susprised if he never exceeded 5w.
I don't listen loudly at all and have relatively good hearing. My room isn't large (24x14), but that doesn't matter because I believe you most likely misinterpreted my post.
