MAX POWER HANDLING ?

[ISAC69]

What is excatly the term MAX POWER HANDLING mention on the speakers ?

If i have the PROAC 140 MK2 max power handling of 250W in 4 ohms it means that I need an amplifier with a power of 250 W at least in 4 ohms

to achieve the maximum potential from the Proacs ?

Some told me that in the Proacs mention Reccomended amp 15-250W means that even amps with a power of 15W can move the speakers

but to get the best results it's better to match amp with at least 250 W :?

Confused ...

 

[nopiano]

I think busb is too modest. That's a great explanation.

Yours is a top performing amp with 2 x 125 watts, so unless you're a heavy metal freak, stone deaf, or live in a warehouse, you'll be fine!

It means what it says, really, They will handle 250 watts, but very few users will want or need 250 watts, which is only 3dB louder than 125 watts, after all.

 

[busb]

The short answer is NO. I'll let someone else give a more definitive answer but the published max power of a particular speaker should be the max input before the speaker cones are driven beyond their designed excursion, ability to dissipate heat or cross-over components overheat or start working in a non-linear fashion. There will be a difference between a level that will damage a speaker permanently in just seconds, a level that will damage after prelonged abuse or a level where the SQ suffers but no damage will be sustained.

As for the potential ouput power of a partnering ampifier, that's not so easy to answer. For instance, it's possible to damage a speaker by using an under-powered amplifier being driven into clipping. This causes high amounts of harmonics whose combined power exceeds what the tweeters can handle. A more powerful one will not be driven into clipping so give a cleaner sound at higher volumes. Some lower powered amps will never clip due either their design or the way they match a particular model of speaker. So no simple answers.

There's no reason to worry too much about the power output or power rating of most speakers can handle at normal levels. It's when you want highish volumes or have a big room to fill with sound. many system's SQ suffers when the volume is cranked up, sounding harsh or hardening up.

So trying to answer your question directly, a 10 Watt amp is unlikely cause damage even if it clips, one 50Watt amp may sound great at higher volumes, whereas another 50Watt amp runs out of steam. A 200 to 500Watt amp will hopefully have enough "headroom" to drive speakers at higher volumes when required. What I'm saying is you cannot rely on mere spec sheets because output power can be optimistcally or conservatively rated inro a resistive load where most speakers are not such simple loads. Many 8 Ohm speakers may well drop to 2 Ohm at certain frequencies so when a manufacture states a speaker's impedence, it's only the average. The difference between two amps that have the same published output power can be partly explained by their ability to deliver current or stated output power being available at all frequencies or not.

 

[BigH]

No you don't need an amp of 250w that is the max recommended. But it is better to have say 50W without distortion from a 125W amp than a 50W from a 60W that is clipping a lot of the time, distortion or clipping will damage your speakers more than higher power. I guess the 15w is for valve amps.

 

[ISAC69]

Thans all .

I am thinking of upgrading my Roksan Kandy so my question is what amp's specifications do I need to check besides the amp's power handling ?

One of my freinds told me that it is better to have standmount than floorstanders speakers because they are more easy to drive even with modest

power handling amps ?

 

[lindsayt]

Excellent explanation by Busb.

Something to bear in mind with speaker power handling specs, is are they peak or continuous? For example I have speakers that can handle 50 watts continuously all day every day. They can handle 150 watts peak. The manufacturer provided a graph of power vs duration to show how long they could handle powers between 50 watts and 150 watts.

The limiting factor in most speakers is what the voice coils in the tweeters can handle before they heat up and burn out like a fuse or a filament light-bulb. Tweeters use thinner than hair copper wire.

If you're worried about power, look at the efficiency specifications for your speakers and buy or borrow a sound meter. Play your speakers as loud as you'd ever want to play them and measure how many dbs they're putting out at 1 metre. From that you'll be able to work out how many watts you need. 15 watts though PROAC 140's would give you about 103 dbs at 1 metre. That's loud.

 

[BigH]

Thans all .

One of my freinds told me that it is better to have standmount than floorstanders speakers because they are more easy to drive even with modest

power handling amps ?

That is generally incorrect, floorstanders are more sensitive than standmounts, but check sensitivity ratings. However floorstanders need more space or you will tend to get boomy bass. Most amps. should be fine.

 

[ISAC69]

Hi

I am considerring to upgrade to ROTEL RB 1582 power amp ( with the ROTEL 1580 pre amp )

here are his its specifications and far bellow the Proac 140 specifications .

Is it a good match ?

ModelRB-1582Power Configurations2 x 200 watts
(20Hz-20kHz, <0.03%, 8 Ohms)Watts/Channel200 watts, all channels driven,
8 ohm load, 20-20kHzTHD (20-20,000Hz) 8 Ohms,
all channels driven< 0.03%IM Distortion< 0.03%Damping Factor (8 Ohms)1000

the specifications of the Proac Studio 140 MK2

SpecificationsNominal Impedance
Impedance: 4 ohms, 3.2 minimum
Recommended Amplifiers
15 to 250 watts
Frequency Response
25hz to 30Khz
Sensitivity
91db linear for 1 watt at 1 metre

 

[busb]

Hi

I am considerring to upgrade to ROTEL RB 1582 power amp ( with the ROTEL 1580 pre amp )

here are his its specifications and far bellow the Proac 140 specifications .

Is it a good match ?

ModelRB-1582Power Configurations2 x 200 watts
(20Hz-20kHz, <0.03%, 8 Ohms)Watts/Channel200 watts, all channels driven,
8 ohm load, 20-20kHzTHD (20-20,000Hz) 8 Ohms,
all channels driven< 0.03%IM Distortion< 0.03%Damping Factor (8 Ohms)1000

the specifications of the Proac Studio 140 MK2

SpecificationsNominal Impedance
Impedance: 4 ohms, 3.2 minimum
Recommended Amplifiers
15 to 250 watts
Frequency Response
25hz to 30Khz
Sensitivity
91db linear for 1 watt at 1 metre

The Rotel combination sounds fine on paper & should drive the more challenging load than average the Proacs have but seriously, don't get too hung up on the specs.

The Candy has a fair reputation so what are you expecting from a new amp?

 

[nopiano]

The paper spec is almost completely irrelevant. Matching this way is like choosing wallpaper over the phone.

Go listen!