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Wharfedale w45 and Kenwood KR 6050. To many watts for these speakers?

A

Aaron S

Member
Hey All,

Hope you are are safe during these troubling times. I have a Kenwood KR 6050, and I'm looking at getting a pair of Wharfedale w45's. I'm intrigued by the wharfedale sound...but am concerned that I may drive them to hard with my Kenwood. It isn't a monster, obviously, but it does put out 60 watts/channel. I've read that these Wharfedale's don't like more than 20.

I'm stoked to hear Arethra, Etta, Little Richard, etc, through these, but am worried that if I put on some Zep or something modern like the Black Keys, or Alabama Shakes, and push it to hard, I might blow a speaker. Anyone think this is a valid concern, or do you think this pairing would be okay?

Thanks and really hoping everyone out there is staying safe.

-Aaron
 
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Used sensibly you'd probably be ok. Big power, low power, improperly used either can blow speakers up.
But if you are going to play rock and such at "higher" levels maybe you should look for something else.
 
Shouldn't be a problem. Use some common sense, don't try to shake the rafters and you should be fine. If anything sounds off, turn the volume down immediately.
 
The way I understand it, an amplifier of a low power rating may be worse than a more powerful one. To achieve higher volume from lower power can result in clipping, a dangerous, dirty, unpredictable level that can blow up speakers.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm no expert, just some things I've read here on AK.

Beautiful receiver, BTW. I love those old Kennies, have a few myself!
 
alteclipsch said:
The way I understand it, an amplifier of a low power rating may be worse than a more powerful one. To achieve higher volume from lower power can result in clipping, a dangerous, dirty, unpredictable level that can blow up speakers.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm no expert, just some things I've read here on AK.

Beautiful receiver, BTW. I love those old Kennies, have a few myself!
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Yes, when an amp starts to clip it starts sending DC to the speakers, speakers can't handle DC. A high power amp won't clip as as easily as a lower powered unit. What to consider though is the W45s were built when there were still a lot of tube amps in use and 30 to 40 watts was about tops for SS amps. The W45s are pretty effecient, 60 watts should drive them without a problem. Just be judicious which the volume knob. These are more of a Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock speaker, they weren't made to rattle the filings out of your teeth. I've run my W70Ds on everything from a 4 watt tube amp to a 200 watt Carver M1.0t. and lots of 30 to 60 watt receivers. Never had a problem.
 
alteclipsch said:
The way I understand it, an amplifier of a low power rating may be worse than a more powerful one. To achieve higher volume from lower power can result in clipping, a dangerous, dirty, unpredictable level that can blow up speakers.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm no expert, just some things I've read here on AK.

Beautiful receiver, BTW. I love those old Kennies, have a few myself!
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That makes sense. Thanks for the response! I love it too. She's been great to me so far.
 
I'm not planning on cranking them up to 11 and blowing the glass outa the windows, so I think I'll be okay. Also, good to hear that these speakers can be driven by a number of receivers of various watts. I just want to hear classic tunes played through classic speakers, and I think these wharfedales will do that for me. I'm gonna go for em, based on what I'm reading here. Thanks again, all!
 
alteclipsch said:
The way I understand it, an amplifier of a low power rating may be worse than a more powerful one. To achieve higher volume from lower power can result in clipping, a dangerous, dirty, unpredictable level that can blow up speakers.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm no expert, just some things I've read here on AK.

Beautiful receiver, BTW. I love those old Kennies, have a few myself![/QUOTE
Yep, those old kennies sure are sweet looking. Sound pretty good too.
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alteclipsch said:
The way I understand it, an amplifier of a low power rating may be worse than a more powerful one. To achieve higher volume from lower power can result in clipping, a dangerous, dirty, unpredictable level that can blow up speakers.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm no expert, just some things I've read here on AK.
Click to expand...

This is particularly true for most solid state (transistor) amps. Tube amps tend to be gentler on speakers when they go into clipping, as they tend to "clip soft." Still, it's best to avoid clipping and stay within the amp's limitations. It's not only safer; it sounds better!
 
JoeESP9 said:
Take a look at a clipped waveform on an O'Scope. The horizontal line is DC.
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This is an interesting point. Yes, you could try to describe the clipped portion of the waveform as "DC." BUT! (And this is important): it's only a short-lived DC level; and that's not the same as true direct current. So I'd say it's more accurate to think of the clipped portion of the waveform as a brief DC level. On the next half-cycle, the direction of current reverses polarity--the sinusoidal part, and the clipped part--and that's the definition of alternating current, not direct current, which never changes direction or polarity. Once we acknowledge that it is an alternating current, then I think it is most accurate to say that a clipped waveform is an example of a non-sinusoidal, or distorted, AC; and not DC.
 
If you have sense and turn the volume down when there is some audible distortion, you should be fine. I used a Pioneer SX-1250 with Heybrook HB2 speakers (the original version; Heybrook used that model number for a completely different speaker later on) for more than a decade with no problem. The Pioneer is rated to put out continuously about twice the power the Heybrooks are rated to handle. If you are not an idiot, you can avoid turning the volume knob so high that there is a problem.

If you have an idiot in the household, then you probably need something sophisticated that limits the output to prevent the idiot from damaging things. Or just plan on buying other equipment when what you have gets ruined by the idiot.
 
Pyrrho said:
If you have an idiot in the household, then you probably need something sophisticated that limits the output to prevent the idiot from damaging things. Or just plan on buying other equipment when what you have gets ruined by the idiot.
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I can ditto that. I gave a perfect pair of Dynaco A35 to a good friend. He had an idiot son who froze the woofer voice coils and blew up the tweeters by using a lower wattage amp at clipping volume. Granted, even a more powerful amp likely would have done the same, this kid was really dumb.
 
Pyrrho said:
If you have sense and turn the volume down when there is some audible distortion, you should be fine. I used a Pioneer SX-1250 with Heybrook HB2 speakers (the original version; Heybrook used that model number for a completely different speaker later on) for more than a decade with no problem. The Pioneer is rated to put out continuously about twice the power the Heybrooks are rated to handle. If you are not an idiot, you can avoid turning the volume knob so high that there is a problem.

If you have an idiot in the household, then you probably need something sophisticated that limits the output to prevent the idiot from damaging things. Or just plan on buying other equipment when what you have gets ruined by the idiot.
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Ha well the dog is sometimes an idiot. Thankfully her paws can't turn the volume knobs! Otherwise, its just me and the wife, and we can refrain from turning it past 12:00.
 
spark1 said:
I think not. But let's just agree to disagree.
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spark1 said:
Wow, the signal gets rectified from AC to DC when it is clipped? Amazing.
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You may want to take a basic electronics course.

O/P, you will be just fine so long as you don't overdrive your amp/receiver. Be judicious about playing them at high levels for extended periods of time.
 
An obvious blowhard. LOL.
When a voltage is neither rising nor falling, but is greater or less than zero, you have direct current. Even if it is the result of an amplifier being driven so hard that it runs up against the power supply voltage rails and ceases to rise or fall. Those flat lines you see on the scope during clipping are the hard limit of what the power supply can deliver. The output transistors are in full saturation, fully on and conducting direct current to the woofer voice coils, and in many cases causing ringing and/or oscillations in the tweeter crossovers. It can be quite destructive.
 
tarior said:
Those flat lines you see on the scope during clipping are the hard limit of what the power supply can deliver. The output transistors are in full saturation, fully on and conducting direct current to the woofer voice coils, and in many cases causing ringing and/or oscillations in the tweeter crossovers. It can be quite destructive.
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That sound like exactly what happened to my beloved Dynaco A35s.
 
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