Amp Wattage

[area51nz]

Ive finally finished selling off my 5.1 setup and a heap of PA gear and looking to put together a really nice sounding 2 channel system.

My question is around the amp to buy...

If I have 150 watt speakers and use an 80 watt amp am I going to notice any difference at normal listening volume than if I brought a 150 watt amp?

Would the extra wattage in the bigger amp only be there for high volume or will this effect quality as well?

cheers.


Ryan

 

[alexs2]

You won't notice any difference in volume at a given equivalent level for the 2 amps.

What you may notice though is the increased headroom at high volumes,where the larger amp will give you about 3dB more in terms of SPL,before clipping sets in,assuming the speakers are rated for the extra power.

Many of us here use amps which deliver well in excess of the rated handling of the speakers being used,as most speaker damage occurs from using an underpowered amp driven too hard.

Sensible use of a higher powered amp will generally be safe.