Nothing has changed except awareness that many speakers have not been driven to full potential over the years due to use with commercial gear like receivers and cheaper integrated amps without enough muscle to get the absolute most out of most modern speakers that tend to be smaller but retain low end extension meaning more current and beefier amps needed. Usually the smaller and more extended a speaker the more the burden falls on the amp to make things click to the max.
Why has amplifier power become a big issue
Back in the day I drove my Advent speakers that were very inefficient with 30 watts per channel. Today I run Vandersteen 2 ce speakers which are more efficient then the old Advents with 50 watts per channel and way more current. By most this is underpowering the Vandersteens, what has changed?
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As far as I know it's just trendy. It's like having the car that goes 400MPH though you drive it to work and the store. It's also pretty wasteful unless you are using a high-efficiency amplifier. Some speakers have been deliberately "juiced" to provide very low impedances. This makes them more critical of the amplifier, and audiophiles, lord knows why, think the speaker that only takes 1 of 3 amplifiers must be better and more exclusive. If you have one of these, then you definitely will need an amp with current to spare. Is it worth listening to a big bad amplifier? Sure. However I would never let them talk you into upgrading if you don't hear the difference in your system. Best, Erik |
Looking at the measurements here: http://www.stereophile.com/content/vandersteen-2ce-signature-ii-loudspeaker-measurements I'd say that's a pretty amplifier friendly speaker. The impedance dropping into the deep bass may be helped by a stiff amp though nothing outrageous. I would imagine a number of good small amps would drive it very well such as the Parasound Halo A23. 125W/Ch and good with 4 Ohms. Based on the measurements, this speaker by the way seems to have an impedance compensation network specifically to make it easy to drive even with modest powered tube amps. |
Some of the sounds speakers make, such as a sharp whack on a drum, a firm pluck of a bass string, a loud voice or voices, the plink of a piano key (transients), can require lots of watts for a very short period to reproduce the leading edge of those sounds optimally. A 50 watt amp may or may not be able to deliver the necessary power to reproduce them optimally, depending on the speaker and your listening tastes. If you are happy with the sound you’re getting from your system, you don’t need a more powerful amp. Also there are a lot of speakers that are power hogs that don’t sound good unless driven by a powerful amp. |
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