I've been in the research phase for years now and so it continues. I have a pair of Focal Aria 936 floorstanders and I currently have a cheap Sony strdh190 receiver powering them. It sounds decent but I KNOW that these speakers can sound way better with a proper amp. I'm not even necessarily looking for specific models but that's certainly welcome. I just want to know what wattage range I should be going for. I think these speakers can handle up to 300 watts per channel. I see plenty of very expensive amps that are only 100 watts per channel. Is it not all about power? My current Sony receiver puts out 100 wpc. Theoretically, could a high end amp that puts out the exact same wattage sound exponentially better and what exactly drives this change? The final question I have: Is it safe to power these speakers with excessive power, like using an amp with 400 wpc to power these speakers that have a 300wpc max? I've seen some people say that it's ok but I would want to be certain so that I didn't damage my new speakers.
Best amp wattage for my setup
- Thread starter spl84
- Start date
jjbomber
Well-known member
With those speakers, you'll go deaf at 1 watt, never mind 300 watts. You are far more likely to damage your ears than your speakers. Focus more on the sound than the wattage. Is there anything you are missing? Do you need more bass? More clarity? More musical? Next option is to listen to those speakers with several different amps to find your nirvana.
Gray
Well-known member
Certainly it could.
And not necessarily just a 'high end' amp.
It might sound better due to delivering the same power more rapidly (high current).
It might have a more linear frequency response - making it sound more evenly balanced tonally.
It might (probably will) reveal previously hidden detail from your music.
It might allow better stereo imaging.
Pick the right one and it will do all 4 of the above.
davidf
Well-known member
Expensive amplifiers with a seemingly low wattage will usually have a very stable power supply, and can be of exceptional quality. If an amp doubles its power into 4ohms, then again into 2ohms, it'll drive most things well. But, some speakers just seem to like an abundance of power.
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Just out of interest, what size room are you trying to
nopiano
Well-known member
On the point about destruction, far more speakers are damaged by crappy amplifiers driven into clipping - think parties where someone drunk whacks up the bass and volume!
You could comfortably use a 300+ wpc amplifier and never get close to overdriving them. You’d need ear defenders and a complete lack of mechanical sympathy.
You could comfortably use a 300+ wpc amplifier and never get close to overdriving them. You’d need ear defenders and a complete lack of mechanical sympathy.
gasolin
Well-known member
Al ears
Well-known member
True. However, you aren't going to need an amp with even 200 wpc just a decent power delivery as these speakers can be a bit tricky to handle with a minimum impedance of 2.9ohm
gasolin
Well-known member
twinkletoes
Well-known member
twinkletoes
Well-known member
it has 2ohm min load, you dont need the wattage you want to be sure the amp has the current reserves. Ie loads of big capacitors for dynamic swings and then has a big enough transformer to then saturate those said capacitors.
wattage normally comes hand in hand with such designs.
gasolin
Well-known member
Nad and many yamaha amps are rated at 2 ohm
I guess both are good at low ohm loads
I guess both are good at low ohm loads
twinkletoes
Well-known member
Get an amp that handle that load rating and the bass will come, I suspect the Sony is just running a little short of puff. Id leave the subwoofer till then. It would have to be a giant subwoofer to truly go deeper than those focals, what do they have, an in response of 30hz?
Hegal
Naim
Rotel
NAD
Yamaha
musical fidelity
all brands that handle those speakers and take them by the horns. And above all they all have something to suit any wallet size new or old
Last edited:
speedthing
Well-known member
Give the Rokasn Kandy K3 a look 140 W at 8 Ohms and 220 W at 4 Ohms a channel its a bit of a beast of an Amp should power those speakers no problem.
Would something like this be good? The specs look almost perfect, shows that it's 2ohm stable... https://www.psaudio.com/products/stellar-s300-power-amplifier?variant=43692321079586
Al ears
Well-known member
Stuart83
Well-known member
Despite other factors at play Watts are indeed the best guide to a (decent) amps speaker power hence it's the go to descriptor for manufacturers to quote.
If not sure always go with the suggested speaker parameters.
A higher priced amp delivers higher current and gain (the fixed quantity by which they increase whatever signal they are fed) using better components etc giving you a better sound.
It's always better to have more power than too little.
The onus is entirely on you then to if you go too far and damage your speakers.
Last edited:
12th Monkey
Moderator
And you're more likely to do that using an amp with little power trying to drive high volumes.
Stuart83
Well-known member
Indeed clipping is an issue and often overlooked and misunderstood so "staying within the mentioned speaker parameters" is a good role of thumb.
12th Monkey
Moderator
Personally, I'm thinking about having cooked voice coils when I were a young 'un!
twinkletoes
Well-known member
Trust me start your search with Naim and see how it goes then expand from there, It should show what your speakers are supposed to sound like according to the designer, then you can say what qualities you don't like and taylor the sound to your liking with other brands.
Roksan will work but considering they're an MA brand these days its not a place Id venture to straight away.
Last edited:
Rodolfo
Well-known member
FWIW, and reinforcing the less-is-more or plenty points: I ran all sorts of speakers satisfactorily with a 25-wpc original Cyrus One for decades. When I finally upgraded several years ago, because I decided finally that I had to have remote control, I more than doubled amperage with a Rotel A12 that puts out a whopping 60wpc, and can drive A AND B speakers!!
I still run my secondary setup with the ever-reliable 25wpc British-BTW mighty-mite.
I still run my secondary setup with the ever-reliable 25wpc British-BTW mighty-mite.
I was the thread starter but yes I am basically looking for an integrated amp. I would probably be open to a 2 channel power amp if it was appropriate but I'd rather have an integrated.
Al ears
Well-known member
Similar threads
Question
Underpowered amp?
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram