tube watts vs transistor watts?


I have always been told your loudspeaker does not need as many tube watts as transistor watts. Why? If the loudspeaker manufacturer says it takes 200 watts for power handling how many tube watts does it take?
seadogs1
Discussed at length in the thread archives.

The answer is 200 watts.

Because distortion from tube amps is perceived more favorably by the human ear than distortion from solid state amps, a lower power tube amp may *appear* to work as well as a higher powered solid state amp simply because the listener is not as bothered by the tube amp's early distortion as it reaches clipping.

Nevertheless, 200 watts is 200 watts, and if the speaker manufacturer recommends 200 watts, then that's what you should feed it at minimum, regardless of whether the amp is tube or solid state.

IMO.
I agree with Tvad, except some manufactures recommend power needs assuming that the 8 Ohm rated power of the amplifier will "double down" into the lower impedance that their speakers actually work in. That might require more (8 Ohm) tube Watts than ss Watts.