How much power for my speakers?

[dragonspit4]

It is in the review:

is 225w ALOT OF power for speak amps?
what's the the most common power output range for speaker amps?

 

[amirm]

is 225w ALOT OF power for speak amps?
what's the the most common power output range for speaker amps?

The amount you need exponentially goes up. Just a few watts is enough for low key listening. Demand high dynamics and hundreds of watts is needed.

 

[dragonspit4]

The amount you need exponentially goes up. Just a few watts is enough for low key listening. Demand high dynamics and hundreds of watts is needed.

wow, mhmm. my question is aim at regular home listening.

What is a W range for a speaker amp for regular home use?

 

[amirm]

wow, mhmm. my question is aim at regular home listening.

What is a W range for a speaker amp for regular home use?

That was the answer . It also depends on your speaker sensitivity. The trend for modern speakers is to make them small which makes them inefficient.

 

[dragonspit4]

mhmm.. I wonder what power I need for regular bookshelf speaker.....I know that I depends on speaker, but....

 

[RayDunzl]

What is a W range for a speaker amp for regular home use?

My multiband portable radio draws 1W from the wall when plugged in.

An old Pioneer receiver claims 45W.

My little JBL active speakers claim two 56W amps inside each of them.

The cheap powered subs claim 150W each.

My three power amps, at 4 ohms, claim 350, 500, and 700W per channel.

I know that doesn't help you, but that's what I have here.

 

[dragonspit4]

My multiband portable radio draws 1W from the wall when plugged in.

An old Pioneer receiver claims 45W.

My little JBL active speakers claim two 56W amps inside each of them.

The cheap powered subs claim 150W each.

My three power amps, at 4 ohms, claim 350, 500, and 700W per channel.

I know that doesn't help you, but that's what I have here.

Thanks for the info..
I always wonder, does speaker sound better than headphone?

 

[RayDunzl]

I always wonder, does speaker sound better than headphone?

They both have their place.

I prefer speakers, but I have room for them, and no one complaining, whatever I do with them, whenever I do it.

 

[amirm]

Thanks for the info..
I always wonder, does speaker sound better than headphone?

Speakers are far better...

 

[Sancus]

mhmm.. I wonder what power I need for regular bookshelf speaker.....I know that I depends on speaker, but....

There are lots of calculators online that will tell you exactly how much wattage you'll need if you know the speaker sensitivity and how loud you want to listen. Just be careful that you know the sensitivity in db/1W/1M, some specs give it in db/2.83v/1M, which means you need to reduce the number by 3db if they're 4 ohm.

A rough estimate is all you need, give yourself some headroom and you're set.

 

[March Audio]

mhmm.. I wonder what power I need for regular bookshelf speaker.....I know that I depends on speaker, but....

You need to know the sensitivity of the speaker. Problem is you need a lot of power to make small increases in perceived volume.

To give some perspective if you don't have a sound level meter play just one of your existing stereo speakers. Get a handle on how loud that sounds. Now plug back in the second speaker. That is twice the power and and increase of 3dB.

Doesn't sound twice as loud though IIRC an increase of about 10dB is perceived as twice as loud.

So speaker sensitivity is important, a 88dB/w speaker is like having two 85dB/w speakers. To make a 85 dB speaker sound as loud as a 88dB one you need to double the power.

 

[dragonspit4]

Speakers are far better...

I would like to point out that the majority of your reviews are headphone amps and dacs though

 

[dragonspit4]

They both have their place.

I prefer speakers, but I have room for them, and no one complaining, whatever I do with them, whenever I do it.

with speakers I do have to worry about sound bouncing off the wall and reverb, which means I need a perfect room and stuff

 

[amirm]

I would like to point out that the majority of your reviews are headphone amps and dacs though

That's because they are far smaller and cheaper to send back and forth. Love to expand and test more home products but you all are too cheap to subsidize me!

 

[dragonspit4]

You need to know the sensetivity of the speaker. Problem is you need a lot of power to make small increases in volume.

To give some perspective if you don't have a sound level meter play just one of your existing stereo speakers. Get a handle on how loud that sounds. Now plug back in the second speaker. That is twice the power and and increase of 3dB.

Doesn't sound twice as loud though IIRC an increase of 10dB is perceived as twice as loud.

So speaker sensitivity is important, a 88dB/w speaker is like having two 85dB/w speakers. To make a 85 dB speaker sound as loud as a 88dB one you need to double the power.

thx for info, so speaker sensitivity is the most important aspect of speakers.
.It is my impression that speakers and speaker gear in general is more expensive than headphone gear, why is that the case?

 

[dragonspit4]

That's because they are far smaller and cheaper to send back and forth. Love to expand and test more home products but you all are too cheap to subsidize me!

I wonder if it has something to do with the demographic?
Are there more headphone user in the world? or are speakers more popular?
If I have to guess, more headphone user that read internet forums for sure.

 

[amirm]

Headphone use has certainly exploded with advent of portable players first and then smartphones. Prior to that it was a much smaller market than speakers. Today it is the reverse.

The demographics are also very different. Our forum members on the average are younger than other audiophile forums that focus on speaker based systems.

 

[amirm]

.It is my impression that speakers and speaker gear in general is more expensive than headphone gear, why is that the case?

The amps need to be larger, heavier and with more parts so they are more expensive. Speakers though have become remarkably cheap. On the other hand there are a ton of expensive headphones. As long as you stay with bookshelf sized speakers, I think the cost can be similar.

 

[dragonspit4]

The amps need to be larger, heavier and with more parts so they are more expensive. Speakers though have become remarkably cheap. On the other hand there are a ton of expensive headphones. As long as you stay with bookshelf sized speakers, I think the cost can be similar.

from my understanding, a decent speaker can easily go up to $10k (or even more), while the best of the best headphone is only $4k.
I wonder why is that? I feel that speakers are not that complex compared to headphones.
More physical material mass doesn't mean it's more expensive.

 

[Sancus]

I wonder why is that? I feel that speakers are not that complex compared to headphones.

Huh? Speakers get ridiculously complex. Take a look at the Beolab 90 - 18 drivers per speaker each with their own individual amplifier and 2 DSPs just to figure out how to handle all of that. That's a lot more complex than any headphones I've heard of.