Quote:
Originally Posted by decooney
And, when the particular speakers made a memorable impression on me they sounded their best (in most cases) with good solid state -OR- tube amp(s) with at least 25wpc. Improved dynamics and better driver control won me over and 100wpc tube amplification with the right amplifiers can sound great too.
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I've found out, over the years, that it is rare to ever have too much power. Yes with a 100 db speaker, you can get by pretty well with 10 watts, but even with a Klipschorn, owners have found that they sound best with 100+ watts. Dynamic peaks and deep bass really do need a lot of power to sound unrestrained.
There is a famous video of a Harbeth speaker being powered by monster amps (something like 800 or 1000 wpc) with a power meter attached. At sound levels where two people could still talk to each other, those speakers drew up to 700 watts!
Alan Shaw, Harbeth speaker designer, feels that even when driving their small speakers like the P3-ESR, you need at least 150 watts for them to play their best. I know people driving these speakers with 5-10 watt amps and saying how much they like them. And I'm sure they do, but it does significantly restrain them. This is particularly true for classical music.
Now if you primarily listen to folk music or James Taylor or simple jazz arrangements, you can get by with much less power. Or in a small room or if your typical listening level is in the low 70s decibels.
My Von Schweikerts sound glorious when driven by my 17wpc Inspire. But they do not sound as unrestrained or have as natural and large a soundstage as when I have my 100 wpc amp driving them. And I'm sure they would be even better with a high quality 300 wpc amp. The same is true for my Focal and Spica bookshelf speakers. I never use the Inspire if I'm playing orchestra pieces. I wouldn't for Hip Hop either, if I owned any Hip Hop. I don't use it for Dire Straits or Lyle Lovett or a number of other groups who have very deep bass or strong dynamic range. No Bach organ pieces either!
Now if my speakers were just another 4-5 db more efficient, I might expand my Inspire playlist.