Speaker Power Handling vs Amplifier Power: Audio Myths Part Three

[@stephenc2738]

I have damaged HF drivers (tweeter) on two different speaker system both with amplifiers rated well below the maximum power handling rating supplied by the speaker manufacturer. Likely from clipping the amplifier on high frequency music content. In another case, my cleaning lady liked to listen to the radio while doing housework. Unknown to me, she turned on my audio system to play the FM Tuner. Turning the volume control to full and only hearing a slight hiss (the Source on the QUAD Preamp was on the Tape Input when I had last used it) she started pushing input sources on the Preamp. She eventually pressed Tuner when the volume was full tilt and then BOOM. That night when I turned on the audio system, one of the speaker's low frequency drivers was dead and the other made a weird sound. She was the only person in my house that day and the next day she called to say her hourly rate had gone up and would I need her to come next week. My answer was No!

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Yikes! That must have made one heck of a noise. ☹

[@bobbaretta]

Very distinctive and peculiar smell of blown speakers 🔊! Very well said, lesser can be more damaging sometimes than overpowering, thanks Andrew!

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Thanks for commenting, glad you enjoyed the video.

[@photorolensoman8101]

I have the problem with the click noise from my speakers. I checked on forums and it turn out to be a lack of power in the amplifiers power supply. I guess I will have to be very careful not to damage my expensive speakers till I get a proper amplifier.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Yes, if you’re getting some sort of mechanical click sound, your amplifier is probably not happy.

[@status101-danielho6]

I've blown the drivers on 3 of my last 4 passive speakers. The tweeter was blown on my JVC and Paradigm, leading me to throw them out. The woofer was blown on my Nuance (replaced under warranty). I don't play the music that loud, so I suspect it was when I accidentally connected or disconnected a powered interconnect or experienced a few seconds of stonking feedback and squeal when some of my playback devices went crazy. The one I hate the most is when you turn off the amp, and the attached subwoofer goes THUNK!

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Yes, never, ever, make amplifier connections with the power on…no matter how good the design, you’re just asking for potential problems and damage to your speakers!

[@brydon10]

Andrew, I received my M3s about a week ago. They are awesome man. Every genre of music I play through them sounds fantastic. But I really think vocals are particularly amazing with these - so natural and lifelike. I also can't believe how big they sound for their physical size. They're in almost every one of your videos too! lol. Beautiful build quality too, the best. Take care and thanks!

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Great to hear and we love the feedback! Enjoy!

[@ericnortan9012]

more power more power more power!

[@damianhaber4890]

Good points raised Andrew! I think you could speak on damping factor of amplifiers and receivers having the highest impact on speaker's performance.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Interesting. Damping factor is a spec that you don’t see too often anymore for amplifiers, but it can certainly have an impact on bass performance.

[@kennethcohagen3539]

I thought the standard was how many watts can a speaker take at 1,000 Hz with out distorting and burning up the voice coil. Watts are a measurement of heat as in how much heat can be generated in a circuit use X amount of current. when I was in my late teens I picked up a two book set written by Phillips that gave you an explanation of all the specs of an amplifier or playback device, like a tape deck, turntable etc. The other book was about how much power you needed, speaker efficiency and how to set things up. they suggested that to power a set of speakers of average efficiency, 20 watts would be the minimum amount of power needed. I bought a 30 watt Harmon Kardon reciever which was what they called high current capable. They rated its performance as 30 watts in 8 ohm speakers and 90 watts into two ohm speakers. They said their amp could handle a 1.5 ohm load. When your driving a bass speaker it’s impedance changes with frequency. that little 30 watt amp was enough to provide sound for a large room like a bar or Church hall. In fact, when I moved in with my best friend and former roommate we were partying one night and a friend wanted to hear what they sounded like at high volume. With the power pot turned up a little over half way, with the door and windows open, we started hearing cheering from the high school next door to the apartment complex. We wondered what was going on, why the lights on the football field were on. Football season was over, and it was late in the spring time. One of the guys ran over and looked through the vines on the fence separating the football from the parking lot where I lived and he came running back yelling shut it off. A few minutes after we had shut everything off, closed the windows and the door it dawned on us that blasting we don’t need no education on Pink Floyd’s wall album wasn’t the kind of thing you would want to do during that high school’s graduation ceremony. So if you were graduating from Cortez High School in 1985, you’re welcome! If you were a parent or staff member, oops!

[@kevinfreestone9822]

As said below, I usually have an amp 50 percent higher than my speaker rating. E.g. an 18 inch at 1000 watts (aes) means an amp of 1500 watts ( aes) per channel. I'm order to stop clipping.

[@sreesree9505]

Well explained

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@zzxxyy22]

Great information..thank you

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Glad it was helpful!

[@twl197860]

The only thing I've had problems with is with the tweeters . Most manufactures that say you bi-wire/bi-amp some of their speakers but they don't say how much power the tweeters can handle .

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Unless stated otherwise, my normal assumption is that bi-wiring should not change the power handling of the loudspeaker, assuming you are using identical amps for both sections. But as always, use your ears as your guide when things are getting too loud for the loudspeaker to handle.

[@dukirps]

If my amp is 100 watts and my two speakers are 80 watts each, and my powered sub is 40 watts, am I screwed? I don’t understand this stuff at all if giant amps are 100

[@narineramsundar9430]

If the speaker is 800 watts and the amp is 400 watts it can damage the amp ?

[@junglbob]

What if amplifier very underpowered? I own speakers Heco 202 with 89dB RMS 65 watt, and find in online shop new mini amplifier Schiit Rekkr, this amplifier give only 2W per channel for 8ohms and 3W for 4ohms, that sounds crazy, but manufacturer tell that this little amp can provide good sound level for high sensitivity speakers, but it is safe to use amp like Rekkr?

[@bigmike4133]

If the recommended amplifier for the speaker is between 40 and 100 Watts is it safe to use in amplifier that is rated for 125 Watts?

[@zoominnboomin]

If Kermit the frogs voice and Ray Romano's voice had a baby it would be this guy's. Good vid btw

[@papoosee]

Is it safe for me to use a 450watt amp with a 60watt rated speaker?

[@hectorortega9131]

Im a Adioholic in recovery phase and let me tell you, you are Correct Sir.

[@bikerdude22]

While listening to loud rock music on Spotify, just to see what would happen I turned up the volume on my NAD C700 amp (100 watts into 4 ohms) to 77% connected to my Dali Opticon 2 MK2 speakers (4 ohms, 86.5 dB, recommended amplifier power 50-150 watts). It sounded very loud, as if I were straining the tweeters, and the sound was kind of flat. I turned it back down immediately. Do you think I damaged my speakers? They don't sound weird as far as I can tell, but I still wish I could go back in time and not have done that.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

If everything still sounds ok at normal levels, you have not done any major damage. That straining sound is your cue to turn down the volume!

[@baratvinayakan4910]

Thanks for the great explanation. I have a Lyngdorf tdai-1120, rated at 60w per channel at 8ohms and 120w at 4ohms. Connected to my dali opticon 6, which can receive 50-200watts of power. Is this setup optimal or are my amps very under powered? Though my listening area is a 10ft x 10ft, I like to listen at fairly high dB, around 80.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

You should be perfectly fine with that combination, as the Dali loudspeakers are reasonably efficient.

[@adrianmaaliw3504]

I have an 60 wattsrms per channel amplifier, will the 90 watts rms speaker do aound good. What will be the out come of this scenario. My amp is Precission Power.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

It should be fine, as long as you’re not trying to fill a huge space with sound.

[@video-carl]

Sorry for long question... I've found an amp, spec'd at 2x200w @ 8Ω & 2x250w @ 4Ω. I connect four 8Ω speakers thru a switch to connect the two pairs, in parallel. The resistance to speakers becomes 4Ω. I play the amp at full power (2x250w) which powers the speakers at 4x125w. Let's say the speaker's upper limit is 125w. Can the speakers be damaged if, using the switch, I switch out one pair? The resistance will change to 8Ω; will the amp be outputting 2x200w? 75w above the upper limit of the speakers?

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Regardless of the power handling of the speakers, or the amp power, you should never use a speaker switch with the system running at high levels.

[@Ashok_Abdul_Almeida]

Hi, my Technics Amplifier SU V660. @20Hz-20Khz continuous power output 2x90watts with 8ohms and 1Khz 2x100watts with 8ohms . Please suggest me the right watts speakers

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

You’re probably best to look more at the sensitivity of the speaker and the size of your room, but max power handling in excess of 100 watts will be fine.

[@RooFvIn]

Thanks Andrew for your excellent videos. Could you help me. I’ve got a Jbl 4 ohms 1200 wpc pa amp. And FANE colossus Xb 1000 watts 18” subs 8ohms. . Are they compatible or I’m I starting a bonfire . Any body!

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

You’re welcome! I think you should be fine running that subwoofer with your JBL amp. You’ll know if you’re pushing it too hard!

[@FROOB202]

Hi Andrew, this was super helpful. I have just bought Monitor Audio Silver 500s due to a good deal and wondering if I'm going to need a new amp now. It recommends 80-250W, has nom impedance of 8Ω, minimum impedance of 3.1Ω and sensitivity of 90Db. I have 2 amps - Marantz PM5004 (35W 8Ω, 45W 4Ω) and Rotel RA-04 (45W, manual states min 4Ω). Internet seems to suggest the recommended wattage is meaningless and 90Db should mean 40W is fine volume-wise, but I can't help but wonder if these are underpowered and could induce clipping at certain frequences like you say in the video? Regaring ohms, I can't find a clear answer on whether that 3.1Ω figure is a problem? I have a list of the specs of 25 amps and ZERO of them claim to support less than 4Ω, yet half the speakers I've looked at go lower than 4Ω! Could you help me out here? Do I need to find one that supports 3 ohms? Does one even exist? Will these amps damage the Silver 500s or vice versa?

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Thank you! I think that either amplifier will work, you just want to watch out for overheating, shutting down, or a very sharp and fatiguing sound if you have the volume turned up loud. If you do you’re reaching the limits of the amplifier and should look for something with more power capability.

[@FROOB202]

@@AxiomHomeTheaters Cheers for the info. I gave them a try and they both seem to work okay, bit of heat with the Marantz but nothing crazy, although I'm not listening at high volumes. Do you think there's any sound quality benefit to more power with these speakers (not necessarily higher quality components, just more power)? Would hate there to be untapped potential lol!

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

@@FROOB202 45 watts per channel is pretty low for a floorstanding speaker like the 500s, unless you have a really small room or don’t listen very loud. I would say that 100-150 watts per channel is the sweet spot. More power is never a bad thing to have in reserve.

[@Samitocas]

Hi Andrew, thank you again for your wonderful video. Now i have a Mcintosh MC 452 amp with 450 watts per channel, i used to drive my Mirage OMD 28 with a 300 watts unclipped maximum power, do you think that i may damage my OMD 28 speakers if i push my amp near 400 watts ??

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

You should be fine with your amp. If you hear any signs of distress that’s an indication to turn it down. I know the OMD-28 will easily take well over 500 watts at bass frequencies with no issue.

[@Samitocas]

@@AxiomHomeTheaters Thank you very much.

[@ΣτεργιάννηςΧρονάκης]

hello i just watced your video and i have two questions to ask . Firstly, i have an amp that has 40w(left) + 40w(right) + 80w(subwoofer) output. I have tested a 50w speaker on the 40w output and at 25/31 volume it distorted. Do you think it would be better if i connect a 60w speaker? Secondly, how many watts should I put in the subwoofer output? 120w or 150w subwoofer? Please reply im in a dilemma for days now.....

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

It’s hard to say without knowing the impedance of your speakers. I would check the spec sheet of your amp and speakers to make sure everything is within the recommended range.

[@ΣτεργιάννηςΧρονάκης]

@@AxiomHomeTheaters thanks

[@Vipera_Gamer.07]

here depend by ohm and If really this is the power of amp and speaker. try to put some what the amp can hanndle If amp cannot hanndle the power of speaker is normal to get distorsion

[@traildoggy]

I would get kicked out of my apartment long before my speakers reached the level that would damage them.

[@jtepsr]

can you tell me why my speakers are not putting out the proper volume for the amp volume i set. so when i turn up the volume high, the speakers are very low. i tried a different amp, same thing. each amp was 100+ watts, the speakers are shelve models, not big. i expected the speakers(bose 201) to be very loud when i turned up the volume.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

It's hard to tell how loud your speakers are going and how loud you think they should play. Do you have another pair of speaker to swap into your system?

[@jtepsr]

@@AxiomHomeTheaters i think i discovered the issue. the receivers do not have a phono pre amp jack, so when we used an alternate, the volume was too low

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

@@jtepsr Oh, that would certainly do it! Glad you got it working.

[@marzweed9991]

So the solution is only hight power speakers and amplifiers

[@broadcastmedia]

How much wattage am I getting using an integrated amp as the pre, and the power amp is double e.g. 75 W per and 150 W per respectively?

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

If the integrated amp is only being use as a pre-amp, then its amplifier will have no contribution. You’ll only have the 150 watts per channel from the separate power amp.

[@broadcastmedia]

@@AxiomHomeTheaters Hey, thanks for clarifying that.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

@@broadcastmedia you're welcome.

[@steveschwartz9421]

No such thing as "too much" power!

[@bertroost1675]

Why do I find my SE 300b amp sounds fine with my AR4x speakers?

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

At low levels the speakers are likely not needing much power. Beyond that you will certainly be clipping the amp, at least part of the time.

[@bertroost1675]

@@AxiomHomeTheaters I only listen at comfortable levels. What does amp clipping sound like and will clipping a tube amp cause any damage?

[@bertroost1675]

@@AxiomHomeTheaters I am not sure what "low levels" is to most people? This is in no way am argument with you but it seems the AR4x speaker was designed more or less with low powered SS or medium powered tube amp in mind due to the ear they were made and the ease of blowing tweeters on them with too much power.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

@@bertroost1675 Clipping can sound different depending on the amp, but usually it will add harshness and hardness to the sound because of high levels of distortion. Clipping a tube amp will not normally harm anything, but it does suggest insufficient amplifier power for the speakers you’re driving.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

@@bertroost1675 The AR4x was quite inefficient by modern standards and AR recommended a minimum of 15 watts per channel to run them. Many SE 300B amps are capable of much less power than that.

[@kampfas]

buy active speakers all these problems solved XD

[@ralphreign8816]

yeahhhh but sound quality etc

[@minnesotajack1]

This video is pointless until you convert the numbers from Canadian to American.

[@AxiomHomeTheaters]

Power is specified differently due to geography? That’s a new one to me. 😉

[@donalddeorio2237]

Clipping is much more dangerous to speakers than actual power. When an Amplifier is driven to Clipping it produces distortion that first goes to the tweeter and can burn them out. It's harder to damage the woofer because of a larger voice coil but it can be done with continued Clipping with bass heavy music

[@taylorbarrett384]

The reason clipping burns tweeters is precisely because it overpowers tweeters. The problem isn't the distorted sound the speaker is being told to make. It's the amount of power being driven to it.