How much power is to much power?

09-13-08: Vett93 said:
"What does "more control of bass" mean? If you meant sufficient current to drive the bass woofers without more distortion, then it is equivalent to a higher SPL. If you meant a higher damping factor, then it is independent to the wattage anyway."

I'm talking about effective damping, not damping factor. DF is part of the equation, but a 100 wpc with a damping factor of 1000 isn't going to control the woofers as well as my 1000 wpc amp with a DF of 1000. Someone up the thread said something along the lines that watts are like horse power. There's something too that.

Uncontrolled bass is too bloomy and resonant. An amp that grabs the woofers and prevents them from uncontrolled ringing is what's needed.

Dave

It depends.

On room size, how loud you listen. That's about it.

Realize that power alone is not always the answer. The amp has to be able to deliver power smoothly into the speakers variable impedance at different frequencies. Amps that double in power from 8 to 4 to 2 ohms do this best. Some speakers are more difficult to drive due to complex impedance loads at various frequencies. Others are less demaning.

What does "effective damping" mean then? :-)

I think what you are referring to is not damping. Rather, it is the sheer power.

I have 4 amps in the house, from 8Wpc 300B SET to 200/400Wpc into 8/4ohm load all SS power amp. The damping factor ranges from 5 to 700. I would not say a higher damping factor will yield the best bass for all kinds of music.

I've found that for Jazz and string music, a mid level DF will yield the best bass to my ears. A high DF means a dryer bass, again to my ears.

You probably like a little bloom in your bass, which is not uncommon. I listen to lots of music with tons of bass and I play in orchestras and bands with "real bass" so I don't like any added bloom.

DF is a technical term that doesn't adequately explain the ability of an amp to control the woofers. If your SET amp had a damping factor of 1000 it still couldn't control many woofers.

Dave

I think ‘power’ is overrated in most situations. It is not necessary to have “1000 watt monoblocks” to achieve good [or great] sound. The Lavardin IT, rated at a modest 50 watts per channel in integrated form has sounded more organized and composed than some 500-watt (very expensive) monoblocks in side-by-side comparisons. It is true that some speaker designs require more power, and there are some esoteric brands that build speakers with these requirements. In your case this is not the case (sorry). But power is not the whole picture. Personally I would never buy a speaker with such requirements.