Hello everyone,

SETUP:
New to the list. I bought a really nice 60's ERA house that came with a built-in sound wall with Altec VOTT A7 speakers. There is also a Teac reel to reel (vertical stand) and Ampex (Built in horizontal inset in cabinet) with a jazz collection form the late 60's.

There is a inset phono shelf that sits on a hidden cement column that "floats" through the floor into the ground. The listening room is very large, roughly 1200 sq feet.

QUESTION
There were no amps or other components, so I have purchased several components to try the sound to my liking. Currently I am using a Marantz 1550 amp, and Denon 47 TT, Marantz CD changer/player. This sounds better than the Jolida hybrid tube amp I bought, and as a result just bought a refurb Marantz 2238b to try as well.

My question is that is seems VERY little wattage/power is needed to drive this efficient speakers. The Marantz is a 38WPC amp, and is there any advantage of using a larger rated amp to drive these speakers? With the 1550 (50WPC) I could broadcast almost to every corner of my neighborhood. So volume is not really an issue.

What's the rule of thumb when matching an amp with speakers.

thanks in advance. All advice appreciated. I will post some pics of the room, as it is pretty amazing given the design of the home. (Think mid-century house with open floorpan meets California ranch house)

Josh

Guys,

Pics as promised in a web album of soundwall
http://picasaweb.google.com/joshuapollock/RenoSoundwallForAudiokarma#

Note the freestanding cement TT mount, by opening cabinet you can see it isolated from the house. Also in pick is Ampex r2r, teac x3r r2r, marantz gear (1550) , built in record, reel cabinets. They are insulated and vented to the garage for heat removal. Really interesting setup, but to me it sounds incredible.

The first time I really get chills on a regular listening basis. Sometimes I'll be talking to friends or my wife, and conversation stops as we listen to some great piece.

Anyhow, I am hoping to find some local audio folks for group get together as well in Reno. We'll see - anyhow, great to be on the board!

Thanks again for all of the response - Josh

That's an incredible listening room, Josh. A "value-added" feature of the home for sure!

Nice.....

Very cool indeed ,I just had a pair of A 7 's in the garage for a bit and ran them with a fisher 500c and it sounded wonderfull. Tried my pioneer sx 3800 on them boring .The A7 is very efficient and does not require much more than 35 to 40 watts max ,I am currently running vott in the basement with a almarro 318b putting out about 16 watts tube power and this sounds really good .