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WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH WATTS?

I'm considering acquiring a new (for me) integrated, under $2k, to drive my KEF full range speakers. They are very efficient (93db) , 4ohm and rated for 50 - 200 watts.  It seems that a good amp with 80 or 100 watts per channel at 8 ohms will take these speakers to any volume I'd want to experience in my medium sized living room.  So what advantage/benefit in sound am I going to get with 150 -200 watts, or more, per channel? Is it worth spending more for extra power that will never really be demanded?  
larstusor
paraneer's avatar
paraneer
818 posts
 
My bad; these speakers are rated for maximum 300w at 4 ohms.

IMO, power handling ratings for speakers are among the most meaningless spec there is.  Impedance and Sensitivity are the specs that matter most.

At 93db sensitivity, a good 100 wpc amp into 4ohms will drive them to ear splitting levels in a medium sized room.  You do not need an amp that will produce 300wpc into 4 with these speakers. 

ebm
5,165 posts
 
When you have extra power it fills out the sound with more authority with more powerful bass.Im using Pass 350.8  wonderful powerful sound getting more watts is always better.

lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
3,018 posts
 
When you have extra power it fills out the sound with more authority with more powerful bass.
True, ebm, but you're using a Pass amp with high power (watts), and also high current. An excellent design.
There are many amps which can produce a high amount of wattage and do not have quality power supplies. So, not all watts are created equally.


mesch
1,679 posts
 
Larstusor, a 100wpc amp at 8 ohms that doubles into 4 ohms will be all the power you would need to drive your speakers.  In this case I would advise spending your amp budget on quality vs. quanity watts.
tls49's avatar
tls49
1,318 posts
 

From looking at larstusor's previous threads, the speakers are KEF 105/3. The spec for sensitivity is 93db/1m/2.83v. Since this is a 4 ohm speaker, that 93db is using 2 watts. The sensitivity for 1 watt will be 90db, so not quite as high as it appears. Wattage can be very misleading. A 60 watt Pass class A amp will drive and control these speakers much better than a very cheap 200 watt amp. Considering your budget, you should be able to find a good quality amp of 100-150 watts @ 8 ohms that doubles or almost doubles into 4 ohms.


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