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Speaker vs. Amp RMS

K

katfour

New Member
Is ther a rule of thumb as to balancing Speaker power capacity with amp RMS?? 100 watt RMS amp goes with 100 watt speakers? And why were my old JBL L26's rated at only 35 watts when they really did crank? I also posted this in general forum sorry to repeat myself. but thinking about replacing my blown woofers in L26's with something new. Hasn't speaker technology improved in the last 25 years? Most are advising against it. Any input would be great. Thanks Again Lou
 
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Well, some basics: an amp's power rating refers to its output capability (roughly speaking, rms output is the maximum it can put out continuously). A speaker's rating in terms of watts refers not to its output capability, but to how much input power it can handle. A speaker's output capability depends on both its power handling and its sensitivity - sound level output per watt of input. That said, it is probably easier to blow up a speaker by overdriving an underpowered amp than by driving it with a more powerful amp, because an overloaded amp will put out a lot of continuous power at high frequencies due to distortion.

As for fixing your speakers, that's definitely a judgment call. Speakers have generally improved in power handling, but sound quality is more a matter of taste, and a lot of guys here love their older speakers. I'm sure someone knows your JBLs and will chime in.

Oh, btw - welcome to AK!
 
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