Power: Good or Bad


Assuming an amp has "enough" power to drive a speaker to satisfying peaks (115db?) do you find that lower-powered amps sound better than their higher power counterparts? That is, do lower power circuits inherently sound better than higher powered ones. I think Sam Tellif for one has made this claim in print. I assume that lower power amplifiers are simpler in design than higher powered, more complex designs with more tubes (or transistors), less wiring, etc. Or, do you feel that whatever price is paid for the additional complexity required to produce more power is a worthwhile trade off in terms of dynamics and "drive". I'm not necessarily thinking 4 watt SETs with super efficient horns, but maybe 30 watts driving 90db loads for example.
pubul57

Showing 1 response by undertow

Yes 20 watt S.E.T sounds better at 115 db peaks if your Room can handle it and your speakers are efficient enough in my experience, vs. 200 plus watt solid state really flattening out at those power transients... So I believe the higher quality watts which always costs more for less watts is in fact the way to go if you have the speakers capable, otherwise you need the bigger amps. I run 101 db speakers, so reality is this is not the norm to get such dynamic contrast with all lower power Class A S.e.t amps.