Matching Power and Speakers -- Much Ado about Not-that-Much? (Tube amps and speakers)

@8th- note I suggest you listen to a bit more of the interview before judging him so harshly.

I do think audiophiles are taught to chase big amps far too much and you can get amazing results with some sweet small amps and a half-decent speaker.

There’s also cases of speakers rated for 4 ohms which are 2 ohm speakers and they don’t need power so much as current. You tend to get higher current with bigger amps (not universally true).

I’m thinking of models from older Legacy and the KEF Reference1 which I’ve recently seen measurements for and going "wow."  The current requirements of those speakers is just far above what a lightweight amp which otherwise would sound fabulous.

Take a CJ Classic 60.  Pair it with a Fritz speaker and it's going to sound fabulous.

@8th-note 

I am sorry but you are beyond harsh, you are just extreme. Extremism is to be avoided 99% of the time. 

Frankly, Mr. Karsten borders on the same end of the spectrum but at this point I believe he is just too hell-bent on the scientific approach. It amazes me that he ever built tube amps. 

The art of medicine needs strict adherence to the scientific approach because there is no room for subjectivism. Art itself, visual, musical, or in letter form is not subject to the scientific approach. The art of music reproduction in the home lies somewhere in between. I have to wonder if you or Ralph love music because if you really do, you would know that the reproduction of music is not subject to pure measurement. If it make you feel any better, I think the same of John Atkinson and Kal Rubinson. 

Do you know the only thing worse than old men with fixed sets of belief and value systems? The answer is old ENGINEERS with fixed belief-systems. 

There’s also cases of speakers rated for 4 ohms which are 2 ohm speakers and they don’t need power so much as current. You tend to get higher current with bigger amps (not universally true).

@erik_squires

Uh, just so we’re clear: current cannot exist without voltage; when voltage and current are present there is power.

1 Watt equals 1 Volt divided by 1 Amp. That’s the Power formula and its inescapable.

The art of music reproduction in the home lies somewhere in between. I have to wonder if you or Ralph love music because if you really do, you would know that the reproduction of music is not subject to pure measurement.

@fsonicsmith1

The disconnect between sound and measurement used to be quite real. But in the last 30 years the technology has become available which makes your conclusion above false.

What has lagged behind the technology though is our understanding of how the ear/brain system perceives sound. As a result, even though we can make the measurements, most people including those that make the measurements don’t really know what is important about them or how to interpret them so you can predict how the circuit will sound. I spend some time over on ASR and I see this a lot over there.

I also see that both the measurement and subjectivist camps are equally guilty of confirmation bias.

As you point out, the sound is everything- its the proof of the pudding. Personally I fall into a middle ground category which is unpopular with both the measurement crowd and the subjectivist-listen-only-to-your-ears crowd. Daniel von Recklinghausen of HH Scott fame first stated my position:

If it measures good and sounds bad, it is bad; if it measures bad and sounds good, you’ve measured the wrong thing.

Well, there's this:

All the best,
Nonoise