How much power do you really need....

[Deleted User]

I agree with earlier comments that you can never have too much power, but you can have too little. I remember when I bought my Infinity Renaissance 90's & was driving them with my Classe Cap-2100 integrated. The Classe is supposed to be a high current amp, but it clearly struggled to drive the Rens which are power hungry thanks to their Watkins woofers. I know from other guys who owned Rens that they only really come to life when driven with a minimum of 200 watts Class A/B ss power; a popular choice being the Classe CA-2200.

I was driving my previous Magico S5 Mk1's (88db @ 4ohms, 2.4 ohm dip at 63Hz) with my Vitus SIA-025 integrated which despite having 'only' 25 watts Kl.A & 100 watts Kl.A/B watts, held its own and was able to control the S5's without running out of puff thanks to its efficient 1.4kVa UI-core transformer. Sure it was working, but the little Vitus likes it. That said, I plan on upgrading to the new SIA-030 when it's released around the end of the year. The new model will have around 30 watts Kl.A & 200 watts Kl.A/B, with much greater capacitance. I'd expect the new amp to really grab the Magico's by the scruff and reveal even more nuances in the music.

F1nut

leftwinger57 wrote: »

I hate to admit this but I think I've got too much power. Just yesterday I pushed in the loudness button on the NAD 1020a pre and volume increased quite a bit. While listening to GD.NET the Grateful Dead i-net station they go from jamming into drums and I heard that awful distortion type sound that you never want to hear from my right 2B. I jumped up lowered the volume let loose the loudness button to hopefully save my speaker.This w/ my Adcom gfa-555 I think can push even totl Von Shweikerts maybe.
Both speakers are fine but they do have limits for sure!!!.....Lew

What you experienced has nothing to do with too much power. It has to do with bumping up the treble and bass at an inappropriate volume level. The only time you use the loudness feature is at low volume levels.

leftwinger57

Jesse, thanks the button as I said is off and a guy must know his limitations. Luckily it wasn't the tragic way.

K_M

leftwinger57 wrote: »

I hate to admit this but I think I've got too much power. Just yesterday I pushed in the loudness button on the NAD 1020a pre and volume increased quite a bit. While listening to GD.NET the Grateful Dead i-net station they go from jamming into drums and I heard that awful distortion type sound that you never want to hear from my right 2B. I jumped up lowered the volume let loose the loudness button to hopefully save my speaker.This w/ my Adcom gfa-555 I think can push even totl Von Shweikerts maybe.
Both speakers are fine but they do have limits for sure!!!.....Lew

Ya, there is a limit to what 2- 6.5" woofers can handle....You were lucky!

Same with our Rta11's, certain things are just too much for them, if cranked up a bit.

Joey_V

Not sure you can have too much power but quality beats quantity for me.

Luckily the Boulder has 600w into 8ohm and 2400 into 2ohm

gimpod

Of course you need to be aware of your systems limitations, I would never dream of pushing a thousand watts into my 1C's. In most cases there is no such thing as too much power, 99.9% of all clipping is caused by overdriving the amp not the speakers.

Loudness button, IMO this belongs on the list of the "Biggest Perversions Ever Perpetrated Upon Mankind" along with Disco, Rap, Jazzercise, Trump, Hip Hop, Pet Rocks, Sit-Coms, Wire is just Wire, etc..., You get the point.

F1nut wrote: »

What you experienced has nothing to do with too much power. It has to do with bumping up the treble and bass at an inappropriate volume level. The only time you use the loudness feature is at low volume levels.

BTW: Jesse great post to @leftwinger57 , Simple and strait to the point. Just the way they should be.