Just getting started. speaker size, wattage, room size

vheintz

vheintz

Member
I'm curious to know if there is a formula to determine speaker size and power in relation to the listening room. My listening room is 14' wide (speaker wall) x 12' long x 9' high. modern construction (dry wall), concrete floor under glued hardwood floor. one window with heavy curtains to the floor. I have a bookcase opposite front wall ( speaks) and an area rug covering 70% of floor. And few wooden tables and desk, otherwise pretty open
 
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No formulas, just a lot of people with opinions. In a room that size a pair of original large Advents (OLAs), and a 40 to 50 Watt receiver would probably drive you out of the room.
 
I’d say in a room like that you could use anything from larger bookshelf speakers on stands to small/medium towers. Power needs will be determined by speaker efficiency but for most speakers 30-35 watts+ should be plenty.
 
ScottFan355 said:
I’d say in a room like that you could use anything from larger bookshelf speakers on stands to small/medium towers. Power needs will be determined by speaker efficiency but for most speakers 30-35 watts+ should be plenty.
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30 to 35 watts does not seem like much.
 
vheintz said:
30 to 35 watts does not seem like much.
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My spare bedroom is the same size as your room, I get by with as little as 4 watts (tube amp), I had a 20w solid state amp, it was more than enough.
Listening levels are below 90 dBs with 90 dB 1w/1m speakers.
 
vheintz said:
My listening room is 14' wide (speaker wall) x 12' long x 9' high.
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Whatever speaker you choose will likely sound best a few feet away from the wall behind them (maybe as much as 3 or 4 feet), so think about how that would work in your space.

Beyond that, I've had good luck picking speakers first and then looking for an amp to properly drive them.

vheintz said:
30 to 35 watts does not seem like much
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The calculator at the link posted by @opnly bafld shows how loud a set of speakers will play when driven by amps with different power ratings. If your speakers have a sensitivity of 89dB, and you are 9 feet from the speakers, 35 watts will go to 98.7 dB which is loud.
 
opnly bafld said:
My spare bedroom is the same size as your room, I get by with as little as 4 watts (tube amp), I had a 20w solid state amp, it was more than enough.
Listening levels are below 90 dBs with 90 dB 1w/1m speakers.
Click to expand...
ScottFan355 said:
My tube amps put out about 24wpc and can drive my speakers with 87db sensitivity to nightclub levels in a similar sized room.
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never owned a tube amplifier. As I stated before, I'm new to the hobby. Without that experience it's hard to understand how they actually compare to solid state. Would it be accurate to say that they are more efficient than s.s. amplifiers?
 
vheintz said:
never owned a tube amplifier. As I stated before, I'm new to the hobby. Without that experience it's hard to understand how they actually compare to solid state. Would it be accurate to say that they are more efficient than s.s. amplifiers?
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or another way to put it - you can use less power in a tube amp than a solid-state amp to push the same speakers?
 
vheintz said:
or another way to put it - you can use less power in a tube amp than a solid-state amp to push the same speakers?
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For power to drive speakers - watts are watts. Doesn't matter if the amp is solid state or tubed. (Tubes might not sound the same as solid state, but that's a whole other rabbit hole)

When I look at matching speakers/amps here's the super simple process I go through -

1. Find the ohms rating for the speaker. Usually that's 8 ohm or 4 ohm.
2. Look at the power rating for the amp. If I'm driving 4 ohm speakers I want to see a stated measurement from the amp's manufacturer at 4 ohms. (Example: 80 watts/channel @ 8 ohms. 120 watts/channel @ 4 ohms). A lot of amps only list a power rating at 8 ohms.
That's the first pass.

Watts come into play in a more complex way that involves how loud I want to play music, the kind of music I listen to, and the sensitivity of the speakers. (Example: 89dB @ 1watt @ 1 meter)

What that rating means is that if you power the speaker with one watt and stand one meter from it, the sound level will be 89 dB.

More power will let that speaker produce more volume, but the relationship isn't linear. To get 3 dB louder, you need to double the number of watts. Like this:

1 watt = 89 dB
2 watt = 92 dB
4 watt = 95 dB
8 watt = 98 dB
16 watt = 101 dB
32 watt = 104 dB
64 watt = 107 dB
128 watt = 110 dB

Where the extra watts become helpful is when the music has sudden changes from quiet to loud - hard drum strikes or big orchestral crescendos for instance. Music can jump from 60 dB to 100 dB in a heartbeat, and the amp needs to provide power almost instantly to deliver the sound.

Last - dB levels need a frame of reference. A quiet room is about 40 dB. Normal conversation is 50 to 60 dB. Download an SPL meter for your phone and see what it measures for your room with nothing playing and again when you are listening at your normal levels. The phone apps might not be absolutely accurate, but should give you a sense of how loud a change from 89 to 92 dB is. (it's not much).

Hope this helps. You're on the right track to get this figured out! Good luck.
 
At a quick glance, it appears that the referenced calculator provides peak SPL.

If so, a user would need to understand that actual listening levels will need to be at least 9-12 dB below that to keep clipping, and its attendant distortion, from becoming a problem.
 
Unless you're trying to achieve a specified level of performance, like THX, there's not a set formula for what you're trying to determine. As many here have already suggested, the speaker/amp combo that is the best choice for you is highly dependant on several variables and many of them are subjective preferences. It's like someone asking which car is best for them based on the fact that they drive two hundred miles per week. For someone just getting started in hifi, there are plenty (maybe too many) of options to choose from. What's your budget? Do you like to listen to it loud? Is strong, deep bass important to you? Is the system going to be for background and casual listening, or do you want to sit and listen closely and get immersed into the music for a true hifi experience where you hear all the little details and experience imaging and sound stage?
 
You're starting a fun process. Take your time & go listen to some systems. You have an audio store nearby? Some Best Buys have Magnolia stores in them.
Do a lot of listening & very little buying.
Just take your time. Try to buy quality instead of WATTS!!. Lots of cheap WATTS!! sound like crap, but really loud.
I prefer large speakers but you might like bookshelfs on stands with a sub better. Lots of ways to go.
Your room is plenty big to get quality sound but not so large you need huge power.
Have fun. The process takes a long time if you really want to mint it out.
Best of Luck - Enjoy the process.
 
If you let us know your budget, location, and whether you’re leaning towards new or used it might be easier to point you in the right direction. Also if you become a subscriber you’d have access to bartertown where members buy and sell.
 
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