How much power do I need?

It really is all subjective, room, listening habits, type of amplification, etc.

I had a really good amp that was rated 220 wpc into 8 ohm, 350 wpc into 4 ohm. It was way too much for my use. And as many companies have more than suggested, to get the system to approach sounding its best you need to be able to push the volume control a bit.

My First Watt rated at 25/50 wpc powers my 85 db 4 ohm speakers extremely well. I never push the system even close to its limits, even close to clipping. And oh does it sound spectacular. Pure class A sound amazing, and has more "balls"... so it plays way above its ratings... having Nelson Pass's magic fingers personally build it may also have helped :). The tube ARC is a nice change of pace.

Therefore I would say that 200 wpc, 300 wpc, even top notch amps, are way too much and I argue may in fact not sound as good to me in my environment in my setup.
 
a.wayne said:
Im attempting to answer your question ....
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I really appreciate your effort, that is a very nice gesture.

But you simply cannot calculate whether a combo sounds nice just by looking at the numbers. There is much more at play to make a good system.



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Huh ...



I'm not , never was nor have i gotten into subjective conversations or reviews, about sweetness and happiness, you like what you like .

This discussion is all about the undisputed objective subject of clipping.

If you do enjoy the sound of clipping , I'm happy if you are ... :)
 
a.wayne said:
This discussion is all about the undisputed objective subject of clipping.

If you do enjoy the sound of clipping , I'm happy if you are ... :)
Click to expand...

If you read some of the comments, there have actually been quite a number of views about what is essential. Interesting views I would say. But now this thread appears to only serve a need to prove something.

I could also go on trying to explain, but I don't think it's worth it.



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Mike said:
750 watts on Harbeth 40.2's is the same as 8 watts on Avantgarde Duo Mezzo XD's.

Just saying...


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I love Avantgarde but I don't think this is really fair comparison due to powered sub woofer. Do you really think Avantgarde can make the sounds right without their own sub powered amp ? What do you think ?


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AJ Soundfield said:
A passive 107db sub would be umm, largish :)
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Exactly. In fact, if it was all horn down to 18hz (like the Duo's are), it would be as big as a house - literally. It's basic physics. In the AG line, efficiency actually INCREASES as the horn gets bigger - so there you go!


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Yes, but for passive 107db down to 18hz

fetch
 
Yea.... ahhhhh no thank you.... then again I am not a bass head :D....

Two small powered subs added to my low powered First Watt amp gives me all I could possibly want....
 
When the truck pulls up to Mikes place and the wife asks, are the speakers inside that trailer? He answers, why yes they are!
 
Late to this thread. I would say my current Vitus SIA-025 integrated has "enough" power (incl: peak power) to drive my S5 Mk2's without dynamic compression in my medium size room. It has an efficient 1.4kVa UI-core transformer which loses max 1.5% voltage (tested). As most seasoned audiophiles know, Vitus power specs are very conservative & are measured in 'true RMS'.

With the above said, i'm looking forward to the release of the SIA-030 which will be I guess like going from a Ferarri 246 Dino to an F355...not in terms of technology, but pure power. The Dino has enough power to have plenty of fun, but the F355 will take you by the scruff and give you all the drama of a full Orchestra. In short, it would be a more memorable experience. That's what I expect when I upgrade my amp :audiophile:.
 
Is the vitus 100/100 @ 8 ohm .... ?

The S5 is 84db/W/M and nominally 4 ohm so if the vitus can deliver double it's 200/200 , approximating a 3 M listen distance i can see clipping at the typical 86-88 db avg din on high crest music, but it's still a good ratio, so if 3 db or so lower on din say 80-83db , then you will still see some clipping , but only on recordings with high crest factors.


IME, so as not to upset the K man .... :)
 
a.wayne said:
Is the vitus 100/100 @ 8 ohm .... ?

The S5 is 84db/W/M and nominally 4 ohm so if the vitus can deliver double it's 200/200 , approximating a 3 M listen distance i can see clipping at the typical 86-88 db avg din on high crest music, but it's still a good ratio, so if 3 db lower on din say 80 db , then you will have issues only on recordings with high crest factors ..


IME, so as not to upset the K man .... :)
Click to expand...
My earlier spec'd model is rated at 25 watts Kl.A and 100 watts Kl.A/B @8 ohms 'true RMS', hence it it would be delivering 50 watts Kl.A and 200 watts @4 ohms Kl.A/B @4ohms. The current spec'd model has the same class A power, but delivers 150 watts Kl.A/B @8 ohms due to it's higher capacitance. Again, remember most manufacturers uses bs power specs. True RMS is a tougher method of testing, and Vitus power specs are on the conservative side.

As for the S5's, MC measured the S5 Mk2's @88db/W measured against 88db (claimed), so i'm not sure where you got the 84db spec from? In my system, my S5's have never gone into clipping & i've never felt like the Vitus was running out of breath. With very energetic passages, for sure the SIA-025 is working and gets very warm to moderately hot in Kl.A mode, but it likes it and actually sounds better ;).
 
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