Wow.....VERY revealing video. I'm speaking of the Harbeth video. I listen almost exclusively to (and play) bluegrass music with occasional forays into small combo jazz and traditional/jump blues. I'm thinking after watching the video that, for higher volume levels (say, 35% to 40% power or higher) the 125 wpc Luxman 509x I'm seriously considering will have "adequate" power. But will it have enough peak reserve for relatively distortion free listening at higher volume levels?
The Harbeth Super HL 5+ Anniversary Edition speakers I've purchased are not inefficient by any means but, according to the video, I wouldn't want to go any lower in power amp wattage than 125 wpc. FWIW and from what I've read the power output on the Luxman 509x is actually closer to 150 wpc. That's at 8 ohms. The Harbeths are 6 ohm speakers, so there would be a little more on tap yet vs 150 wpc. But keep in mind that 500 wpc + continuous power demand on the video.
I was surprised at the amount of continuous power required for this distortion free, relatively sparse recording. And 700+ watts for the peaks?!! Wow. I'm beginning to wonder if 125 wpc minimum is adequate with my application? Although I listen primarily to acoustic music, bluegrass is relatively dense and active music with up to 6 or 7 instruments and lots of 3 and 4 part vocal harmonies, often layered on top of the instruments and playing simultaneously. That also creates more power demand. There is a point where distortion is inaudible. But I don't have any way of knowing where that point is. Can inaudible distortion still have positive or negative effects on the sound? So how much distortion is acceptable? Does "some" distortion actually enhance the sound? Is 125 to 150 wpc going to be adequate for higher listening levels? Lots of questions created with that video.
