First Post . power to Kappa 6.1

[Listnnthdark]

I love this forum .. This is my first post .. I am a technical neophyte so please bear with me .. I hope to pick the brains of those of you who have vast audio knowledge and experience ..I learn alot from reading your posts..
Though I am often confused by techjargon.. Here are my first ???s
I own a pair of Kappa 6.1 series 2 speakers . I power them with nothing more than an NAD 720 bee reciever. 50 wpc. Im considering going on epay to look for a second amp to use along with reciever to bi amp.. My NAD is able to drive the Kappas to adequete volume . 1st ? Is the fact that volume is loud enough for my taste proof that speakers are getting enough power ?? and that its unlikly that there would be an audible difference By adding second amp ?? What SPECIFIC improvement might occur ? I find that with well recorded sparcely played music the sound is ...{ to find a word ..}
OK " ENTHRALLING " But for example with some classical music when there is alot going on all at once .. things can sound somewhat compressed or conjested ... Would bi amping or increasing power affect that aspect at all
can anyone recomend a good matching amp ?? Should it be another 50 wpc or is it a case the more power the merrier ??? So many ????s so little time..

[Dale A B]

I doubt that adding a 2nd amp would clear up the problem. Based on the fact that some recordings sound GREAT, and 50 wpc should be plenty, unless you tend to turn it up past 11 often. I've run music thru amps with as little as 25 wpc up to 150, and it still doesn't make the recording sound any better.

Altho I don't listen to classical at all, maybe there are peaks and valleys in the recordings that tend to show these issues at times.

NP - C.O.C. - Deliverance

[Listnnthdark]

That actually was THE question I wanted to send out to all of our audioloving friends out there!!! Are ALL really good and revealing speakers like my K 6.1
so merciless on not so good recordings ????? Also Im now abit confused about power again.. NOT to cause an argument but in a former post Tedrick seemed to say that with regard to my speakers in particular more power would be very beneficial not just in regard to more volume but also with regard to sound quality at moderate or lower volume as well { if im not mistaken} But your point about recording quality is absolutly right. are you at all familiar with Kappa 6.1s or were you making a general statement ?
I listen to alot of different music w classical being maybe 20% I listen to alot of FM { being that I lost a thirty year cd collection in a fire last year... and its amazing how chameleonlike miy speakers are The sound and soundstage alter completly from station to station and from track to track .. Some of the time it can be very dissapointing do you guys with the QLS or other high high end stuff experience that too ?? BUT when a good recording comes along .....WOW!!!! HAPPY LISTENING

[Vitopanch]

That actually was THE question I wanted to send out to all of our audioloving friends out there!!! Are ALL really good and revealing speakers like my K 6.1
so merciless on not so good recordings ?????

Hail Listnnthdark,
Well, it is all a matter of opinion, level of expectation and definitions. My definition of a great loudspeaker is one that has the ability to make sound without distortion in the desired frequency range and one that is colourless. By colourless I mean that is does not add or subtract sound or nuances of sound. It sits there and faithfully reproduces whatever it receives. Great in great out. Horrible in horrible out. The last thing that I want from a loudspeaker or any audio component is for it to be making decisions for me. That is what I would use a parametric equalizer for if I was so inclined.

Many people want something different from this however. They want loudspeakers to be actively involved in tuning or detuning the music for them. It is all a matter of taste.

As far as the more power situation; more available power is not directly really for increase in volumne. It is to avoid clipping. As we know, doubling the available watts only increases the available volumne by 3 dB, which is rather insignificant. The extra available power is to ensure that the amplifier can react to peaks in dynamic range with clipping, shaving off the top of the frequency, thereby creating distortion. Distortion sounds horrible and can be readily heard.

The point is that you have some dandy loudspeakers there that are reputed to be colourless and capable of handling the transient power that is required to produce musical peaks in the dynamic range. Most songs, if you will, find that 85 percent, if not more, of the music is within a dynamic range that is quite narrow. However, it is full dynamic range of a live performance that is required to have that 'being there feeling'. Dynamic range is the volume difference of the softest and loudest notes that are recorded. If any of the components in the audio change are not equal to reproducing the dynamic range on the recordings, then, you will not feel as though you are listening to a live performance, which, for me is what it is all about.

So, the more available power that you have to reproduce the dynamic range, the more you will get out of loudspeakers that can faithfully reproduce it. My Infinities have 2800 watts available to them, for example. They never go hungry on ANY music at ANY volume, no matter the dynamic range. Make sense?

Vito

[phaedrus]

My Infinities have 2800 watts available to them, for example. They never go hungry on ANY music at ANY volume, no matter the dynamic range. Make sense?

Vito

Vito,

Yikes! 2800 watts? How many Phase Linears you running there? MOST impressive.

David

[glsarto]

As we know, doubling the available watts only increases the available volumne by 3 dB, which is rather insignificant. Vito

dB is a logarithmic unit of measurement, and, as far as I know, 3 dB is twice as much.

-GianLuca

[phaedrus]

dB is a logarithmic unit of measurement, and, as far as I know, 3 dB is twice as much.

-GianLuca

dB *is* logarithmic, which means an increase of 10 dB is an effective doubling ("twice as much") of sound pressure levels. Vito is correct, 3 dB is generally considered the smallest noticeable increment in sound.

David

Edit: Looks like I goofed; looks like 10 dB is a ten-fold increase in loudness.