Iaudio,
what will happen if i choose 120W amp to drive my speaker (which is 25W-100W @ 8ohms). Will it blow ,if i increase volume.
Stereo Setup for small room
- Thread starter kvandhi
- Start date
Iaudio,
what will happen if i choose 120W amp to drive my speaker (which is 25W-100W @ 8ohms). Will it blow ,if i increase volume.
you will have to factor in the sensitivity of your speakers...
maybe your query is answered here...
http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/1652-power-matching-speakers-amplifier.html
maybe your query is answered here...
http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/1652-power-matching-speakers-amplifier.html
Last edited:
Adhiraj
Active Member
You can use amps upto twice the continuous power rating of your speakers without an issue.Just dont turn it all the way up.Idea is to give "clean" power to your speakers , by clean power I mean non-clipped .Music is full of transients ,i.e. troughs and peaks in the musical waveform ,the amp has to be capable of producing this entire waveform as cleanly as possible or else the tops of crests and botton of troughs in the wave form will get cut off or clipped ,normal waveforms look sinusodial ,clipped waves look square , when you force an amp to play clipped it can put out almost twice the power , as these square clipped waveforms have a lot of unwanted HF energy , generally this is what causes most speakers to blow .This is the absolute value of power you can give the speaker ,I will not get into sensitivity ratings and how much power would be ideal for a given loudness at a distance because I find that to be pointless ,because you have to then figure in room gain and to do that accurately you need to model the room.
Bottom line, if a speaker says 200 watts "peak" or "program",give it 200 watts , if a speaker says 50 watts "nominal" or "continuous" ,you can feed it 100 watts. It is safer to give the speaker more clean power ,than give it less clipped power ,speaker failures happen because of excessive power or excessive excursion, an amp under stress will produce considerably more than its power rating causing speakers to blow,so its generally not a good Idea to clip an amp at all.
Remember to factor in the impedance of the speaker tho, an amp that puts out 100 watts at 8 ohms will produce close to 200 at 4 ohms.
When we mean 120 watts ,it is generally assumed you are talking about per channel power i.e. in stereo terms. so your amp is 120 watts per channel .
Here are a few nice links to help you understand that
Power Amplifier Clipping
Why Do Tweeters Blow When Amplifiers Distort?
How much amplifier power do I need?
HTH.
Bottom line, if a speaker says 200 watts "peak" or "program",give it 200 watts , if a speaker says 50 watts "nominal" or "continuous" ,you can feed it 100 watts. It is safer to give the speaker more clean power ,than give it less clipped power ,speaker failures happen because of excessive power or excessive excursion, an amp under stress will produce considerably more than its power rating causing speakers to blow,so its generally not a good Idea to clip an amp at all.
Remember to factor in the impedance of the speaker tho, an amp that puts out 100 watts at 8 ohms will produce close to 200 at 4 ohms.
When we mean 120 watts ,it is generally assumed you are talking about per channel power i.e. in stereo terms. so your amp is 120 watts per channel .
Here are a few nice links to help you understand that
Power Amplifier Clipping
Why Do Tweeters Blow When Amplifiers Distort?
How much amplifier power do I need?
HTH.
Adhiraj,
Thanks for detailed explaination with link . I found the below details from that link
Total amplifier power required :
Home stereo: 150 W for 85 dB SPL average (with 15 dB peaks), 1,500 W for 95 dB SPL average (with 15 dB peaks) .
So we can have 150W amp to drive the speaker(25-100W@8ohms/88DB). ?
I am using Bose companion 3 for my laptop, By any chance anyone knows how much watts Bose companion 3 produces. (I know asking watts from Bose speakers is foolish question!!!).
But if anyone knows about the bose watts ,please share me . so that i can be sure what much watts i am listening.
Thanks for detailed explaination with link . I found the below details from that link
Total amplifier power required :
Home stereo: 150 W for 85 dB SPL average (with 15 dB peaks), 1,500 W for 95 dB SPL average (with 15 dB peaks) .
So we can have 150W amp to drive the speaker(25-100W@8ohms/88DB). ?
I am using Bose companion 3 for my laptop, By any chance anyone knows how much watts Bose companion 3 produces. (I know asking watts from Bose speakers is foolish question!!!).
But if anyone knows about the bose watts ,please share me . so that i can be sure what much watts i am listening.
Adhiraj
Active Member
What Watt? Whose Watt?
I think the bose companion 3 uses 3 inch extended frequency drivers in the sats and a 5.25 inch woofer in the sub, by pure estimation I imagine that the sats get fed upto 10-15 watts each and the sub could be double that around 20-40 watts.Since Bose is so unkind and does not disclose their power specs the above information is purely guesswork.
Moktan , you are quite right NAD does under rate their published specs ,they have a concept called dynamic power , my NAD ordinarily rated at 80 Watts into 8 ohms is supposed to put out almost 120 clean before clipping.
Kvandhi here is another link to help clear your doubts
Secrets of Amplifier and Speaker Power Requirements Revealed - eCoustics.com
Secrets of Amplifier and Speaker Power Requirements Revealed - eCoustics.com
Suppose your speakers are rated at 95db sensitivity for 1 watt at 1 meter ,to get it upto 105 db we will have to give it 10 watts (10 times the power for 10 db increase in output) for a 115 db we will have to give it 100 watts now to get it upto 125 db we will have to give it 10 times 100 which is an earth shattering 1000 watts.So it depends on the sensitivity of your speakers and the absolute peaks you would like to achieve .
There are a few cheats to help your speakers perform better with lesser power requirement ,one of the best ways is to go Active with separate amp for each driver and an active XO, those Genelec monitors I link thru to above are active they have one amp for woofer and another for the tweeter and no Passive crossovers , as a result ,when the woofer amp is being over driven , the tweeter amp remains unaffected giving you cleaner sound and much better dynamic headroom.
I think the bose companion 3 uses 3 inch extended frequency drivers in the sats and a 5.25 inch woofer in the sub, by pure estimation I imagine that the sats get fed upto 10-15 watts each and the sub could be double that around 20-40 watts.Since Bose is so unkind and does not disclose their power specs the above information is purely guesswork.
Moktan , you are quite right NAD does under rate their published specs ,they have a concept called dynamic power , my NAD ordinarily rated at 80 Watts into 8 ohms is supposed to put out almost 120 clean before clipping.
Kvandhi here is another link to help clear your doubts
Secrets of Amplifier and Speaker Power Requirements Revealed - eCoustics.com
Secrets of Amplifier and Speaker Power Requirements Revealed - eCoustics.com
Suppose your speakers are rated at 95db sensitivity for 1 watt at 1 meter ,to get it upto 105 db we will have to give it 10 watts (10 times the power for 10 db increase in output) for a 115 db we will have to give it 100 watts now to get it upto 125 db we will have to give it 10 times 100 which is an earth shattering 1000 watts.So it depends on the sensitivity of your speakers and the absolute peaks you would like to achieve .
There are a few cheats to help your speakers perform better with lesser power requirement ,one of the best ways is to go Active with separate amp for each driver and an active XO, those Genelec monitors I link thru to above are active they have one amp for woofer and another for the tweeter and no Passive crossovers , as a result ,when the woofer amp is being over driven , the tweeter amp remains unaffected giving you cleaner sound and much better dynamic headroom.
Adhiraj,
Thanks for detailed explanation. My understanding of selecting speaker,Amp is listed below, correct me wherever i am wrong.
1. First need to read out specs of Speaker like details of sensitivity(db),impedance,recommended amp power(watts).
2. Match this with spec of amp, like amplifier power(watts).
3. Amp should be more power than recommended speaker power.
Apart from all the above, how do you decide for room size like 10X12 (120sqft). how much power watts of speaker and amp should be choose from ?
The reason is currently i am listening Bose companion 3 with speaker volume level in 9o clock position.
(Even the choice of music doesnt require heavy of punchy bass).
Thanks for detailed explanation. My understanding of selecting speaker,Amp is listed below, correct me wherever i am wrong.
1. First need to read out specs of Speaker like details of sensitivity(db),impedance,recommended amp power(watts).
2. Match this with spec of amp, like amplifier power(watts).
3. Amp should be more power than recommended speaker power.
Apart from all the above, how do you decide for room size like 10X12 (120sqft). how much power watts of speaker and amp should be choose from ?
The reason is currently i am listening Bose companion 3 with speaker volume level in 9o clock position.
(Even the choice of music doesnt require heavy of punchy bass).
shaiju_o_thomas
Well-Known Member
kvandhi,
Sorry to barge in to your thread in between and posting my requirements. So many threads!!!
All,
DENON PMA-1510AE
MARANTZ PM7003
DENON PMA-710AE
Planning to get one of these in next couple of weeks. I do understand that pairing of speaker and amp is very important but any more suggestions? As for speakers, I am leaning towards the Polk Audio Tsi400.
Ali has suggested a few speakers - have yet to audition them.
Too lazy plus couldn't miss The Social Network.
Edit: Speakers will always be within "normal" listening limits.
Sorry to barge in to your thread in between and posting my requirements. So many threads!!!
All,
DENON PMA-1510AE
MARANTZ PM7003
DENON PMA-710AE
Planning to get one of these in next couple of weeks. I do understand that pairing of speaker and amp is very important but any more suggestions? As for speakers, I am leaning towards the Polk Audio Tsi400.
Ali has suggested a few speakers - have yet to audition them.
Too lazy plus couldn't miss The Social Network.
Edit: Speakers will always be within "normal" listening limits.
Adhiraj
Active Member
1. First need to read out specs of Speaker like details of sensitivity(db),impedance,recommended amp power(watts).
This is correct , it will help narrow down your selection and come to an approximate value of power requirement.
2. Match this with spec of amp, like amplifier power(watts).
Initially , to narrow your selection.But to finally decide , there are a couple of things that are more important. VOICING .By voicing I mean actually listening to the amp with the speakers.Like speakers ,amps have differing characteristics. For example Yamaha tends to be slightly bright and bass light , pairing a Yammie with bright speakers will offer very detailed sound but might make your ears bleed.Nad however if bass heavy ,slightly less detailed in the treble area,but highly musical and would do well with brighter speakers.Again , you have to hear your speakers first ,then decide on the amp ,tailoring the sound to suit your ears.I suggest you get a fix on the speakers first,then the amp.But remember that above all else ,all specs and numbers aside,Voicing is by far the most important thing ,if it sounds good to you ,thats all that matters.
3. Amp should be more power than recommended speaker power.
ALWAYS.Unless you like listening only to flute solos in which case a flea and pixie dust powered SET matched with single driver speakers will offer a completely different experience.But god help you if you want any bass performance.If you want midrange that will murder anything else this is definitely the way.
In the pro audio world (by pro audio I do not mean your local speaker dude who rents out their stuff for parties,By pro audio I mean PROFESSIONAL AUDIO.The guys who master your recordings before putting them on CDs and the guys who own studios with Adam audio monitors for referencing) it is generally the norm to feed a speaker with 2 X continuous power to keep enough headroom or go completely active.This is the standard practice in the industry.
Apart from all the above, how do you decide for room size like 10X12 (120sqft). how much power watts of speaker and amp should be choose from ?
Room gain ,on an average is around 3-6 db depending on placement.Hence you can add about that much to the sensitivity rating of the speakers and then decide accordingly,there are a few more variables ,it also depends on the VOICING of your room,if your room has loads of heavy furnishing and is acoustically dead,we can turn the room gain figure down,if your room is highly reflective acoustically I.e. its LIVE then we might have to read the room gain figure slightly higher.Obviously ,I do not need to tell you that smaller rooms ,mean less space,means smaller speakers
The reason is currently i am listening Bose companion 3 with speaker volume level in 9o clock position.
(Even the choice of music doesnt require heavy of punchy bass).
Well then I guess you could get away with smaller speakers ! I think the ideal would be to go for bookshelves ,whether you want to go for ones that are passive or active is upto you.Personally I prefer active ones.
@Shaiju
Threadjacking is an offence! read the rules ! lol
Buy speakers first ,then voice your amps , Polks are slightly warm sounding speakers ,I guess they would do well with Denon or Yamaha ,my suggestion to you is to first get a complete fix on what speakers you want,then come back to the forum with the entire specs and details of the speakers ,along with what tonal quality you are looking for as well as the music tastes you have ,using all that we can come up with an ideal match.For example your power requirements will differ based on the music you listen to ,if you are mainly into acoustical recordings you will require less power.Also be sure to post the specs of the amps that you are considering ,we forum folks are lazy and hate googling for specs.
HTH.
This is correct , it will help narrow down your selection and come to an approximate value of power requirement.
2. Match this with spec of amp, like amplifier power(watts).
Initially , to narrow your selection.But to finally decide , there are a couple of things that are more important. VOICING .By voicing I mean actually listening to the amp with the speakers.Like speakers ,amps have differing characteristics. For example Yamaha tends to be slightly bright and bass light , pairing a Yammie with bright speakers will offer very detailed sound but might make your ears bleed.Nad however if bass heavy ,slightly less detailed in the treble area,but highly musical and would do well with brighter speakers.Again , you have to hear your speakers first ,then decide on the amp ,tailoring the sound to suit your ears.I suggest you get a fix on the speakers first,then the amp.But remember that above all else ,all specs and numbers aside,Voicing is by far the most important thing ,if it sounds good to you ,thats all that matters.
3. Amp should be more power than recommended speaker power.
ALWAYS.Unless you like listening only to flute solos in which case a flea and pixie dust powered SET matched with single driver speakers will offer a completely different experience.But god help you if you want any bass performance.If you want midrange that will murder anything else this is definitely the way.
In the pro audio world (by pro audio I do not mean your local speaker dude who rents out their stuff for parties,By pro audio I mean PROFESSIONAL AUDIO.The guys who master your recordings before putting them on CDs and the guys who own studios with Adam audio monitors for referencing) it is generally the norm to feed a speaker with 2 X continuous power to keep enough headroom or go completely active.This is the standard practice in the industry.
Apart from all the above, how do you decide for room size like 10X12 (120sqft). how much power watts of speaker and amp should be choose from ?
Room gain ,on an average is around 3-6 db depending on placement.Hence you can add about that much to the sensitivity rating of the speakers and then decide accordingly,there are a few more variables ,it also depends on the VOICING of your room,if your room has loads of heavy furnishing and is acoustically dead,we can turn the room gain figure down,if your room is highly reflective acoustically I.e. its LIVE then we might have to read the room gain figure slightly higher.Obviously ,I do not need to tell you that smaller rooms ,mean less space,means smaller speakers
The reason is currently i am listening Bose companion 3 with speaker volume level in 9o clock position.
(Even the choice of music doesnt require heavy of punchy bass).
Well then I guess you could get away with smaller speakers ! I think the ideal would be to go for bookshelves ,whether you want to go for ones that are passive or active is upto you.Personally I prefer active ones.
@Shaiju
Threadjacking is an offence! read the rules ! lol
Buy speakers first ,then voice your amps , Polks are slightly warm sounding speakers ,I guess they would do well with Denon or Yamaha ,my suggestion to you is to first get a complete fix on what speakers you want,then come back to the forum with the entire specs and details of the speakers ,along with what tonal quality you are looking for as well as the music tastes you have ,using all that we can come up with an ideal match.For example your power requirements will differ based on the music you listen to ,if you are mainly into acoustical recordings you will require less power.Also be sure to post the specs of the amps that you are considering ,we forum folks are lazy and hate googling for specs.
HTH.
shaiju_o_thomas
Well-Known Member
Actually my friends are flying back from HK. Thought I'll ask them to tag an amp along. I am deciding on the speakers in a week's time. Hope my decision and their return is perfectly timed
Bollywood and Hollywood OST is what I listen to mostly. Plus anything ear-pleasing.
Will continue one of my old thread and seek your advice. Appreciate your time.
i power my audire callistoes (rated at 65 watts) with 25 watt per channel (musica amp) and for the music i listen (acoustic jazz mostly and female vocals- dee dee bridgewater, nina simone, ella, warnes etc- at low volumes)..i find the output much more musically fulfilling than driving the speakers aforementioned with my other amp NAD 325 bee (at the same volume)...also the music with the musica- callistoe combo seems 'better' than with the NAD and mordauntshort 902i (my other speaker) pairing..though if i have to listen to slightly more powered music say Springsteen (which is a rare event) the later configuration does better justice ..
bottom line, i think it is critical that one identifies the music one prefers most of the times and then takes the financial plunge...of course if money is no object then the paradigm shifts..but even then one has to introspect what the quest is for..is it music or is it sound...
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iaudio
Well-Known Member
Keep it in tone defeat if possible. Most amps will have that function. Else keep the bass,treble dials at zero bias( which is usually 12 o clock position). But again, depending on your preference, you can play around with it to get what is the most acceptable sound for you.
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
