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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?
digepix
tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
1,368 posts
 

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.

ebm
5,165 posts
 
Im using PASS 350.8 on Magico Q3 having all this power gives me better bass definition and weight. It also lets my amp run in class a much more giving an overall better sound.
mapman's avatar
mapman
15,679 posts
 
Tomcy6 speaks truth. 
psag
450 posts
 
I agree that some (most?) of the complex multiway speakers can sound more authoritative on transients with more watts. But for the same dollars, a lower power amp may sound more musical.  There are now amps that combine musicality with big watts, but it can be an expensive proposition.
erikt
174 posts
 
It's always been an issue.

I burned up my share of tweeters in the 70's with an uninformed mis-match of inefficient low impedance speakers, low powered receivers, and a desire to have Who concert levels in my listening space.
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