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The Basement
Hello, first post, noob question... - Amplifier Power Ratings
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<blockquote data-quote="Tim McCulloch" data-source="post: 213939" data-attributes="member: 67"><p>The "watt" rating for loudspeakers and output transducers is a THERMAL RATING. It has nothing to do with how much power is converted to SPL, only how much power can be dissipated as heat (for a usually undisclosed amount time) before the voice coil fails catastrophically... and that's if the manufacturer is being honest about the rating.</p><p></p><p>Watts as a spec for amplifiers essentially rate how long the voltage (potential) applied to resistance (voice coil) will be sustained before the amp power supply collapses.</p><p></p><p>Presuming the loudspeaker still has excursion capability and thermal capacity, and your personal reaction to seeing clip lights on the amplifier... you can use an amp smaller or equal to the *continuous* rating of the loudspeaker and ignore the clip lights if you don't perceive audible clipping. If you have an allergic reaction to clip lights, buy a bigger amp, but realize that if you use a larger amp that is genuinely capable of exceeding the loudspeaker rating on a continuous basis, you'll eventually run them harder and possibly blow speakers or passive crossover components.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tim McCulloch, post: 213939, member: 67"] The "watt" rating for loudspeakers and output transducers is a THERMAL RATING. It has nothing to do with how much power is converted to SPL, only how much power can be dissipated as heat (for a usually undisclosed amount time) before the voice coil fails catastrophically... and that's if the manufacturer is being honest about the rating. Watts as a spec for amplifiers essentially rate how long the voltage (potential) applied to resistance (voice coil) will be sustained before the amp power supply collapses. Presuming the loudspeaker still has excursion capability and thermal capacity, and your personal reaction to seeing clip lights on the amplifier... you can use an amp smaller or equal to the *continuous* rating of the loudspeaker and ignore the clip lights if you don't perceive audible clipping. If you have an allergic reaction to clip lights, buy a bigger amp, but realize that if you use a larger amp that is genuinely capable of exceeding the loudspeaker rating on a continuous basis, you'll eventually run them harder and possibly blow speakers or passive crossover components. [/QUOTE]
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Hello, first post, noob question... - Amplifier Power Ratings
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