Does a 35 Watts difference between Receivers make a REAL Difference?

The big cool power meters on my amp start at 0.0001 Watt and the center is 1 Watt and the right is 400 Watts. That said the efficiency of the speakers plays a VERY significant role in the difference between 70 and 105 watts.

I am currently running 98db efficient speakers and at normal listening in my house the peaks rarely get to 1 Watt, however when I hook up some 86db speakers the peaks are between the 10 Watts and 100 Watts lines (each deviation goes up by a factor of 10 on the meter).
 
Having had a 1020 and a 2020, I'm in agreement with the above sentiments regarding volume.

That being said, on the phono input, the extra 30 watts seemed to make a difference in better amplification. Just a bit.

Ken
 
I always believed that the main reason for the huge amount of power was for more headroom. making it easier for the amp to hit those demanding bass notes.

That was one, just one of my reasons for my purchase of the mighty SX-1980. I do have to admit that it was also partly, the "Mine is Bigger" thing.

But originally, when i got my 1980 back in 1979, I was a much, hmmmm, much younger man.
 
Logos said:
My receivers go from 18 watts to 45 watts and once I get past 25 watts I have more volume than I can use.

I have a normal house, though, at about 2500 square feet. I suppose in a huge mansion you could use more power.

Idunno......probably never will since I won't buy a mansion even if I get to the point that I can afford one.

I suspect the race for power is more a function of macho and insecurity gone wild than anything else.

Being able to say, "mine is bigger than yours," seems to be a pervasive male need.

:D

Not to say I wouldn't grab a big receiver if I found it for a great price at a garage sale........but I know I don't need the power.
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I was always of the opinion that "It's not the size of the Ship, but the Motion of the Ocean." :yes:
 
Logos said:
I suspect the race for power is more a function of macho and insecurity gone wild than anything else.

Being able to say, "mine is bigger than yours," seems to be a pervasive male need.:D
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I see a big grin there but, just in case, if it makes you feel better to believe that, it's your choice. It's not, however, true. :no:
 
It's not a pervasive male need???

Hmmmm........oh, I think it is. Sure, there are always some exceptions.....like me and you.

:music:
 
I'll agree that the extra wattage should make for more headroom and open up a wider soundstage, but ya know, 70 wpc is a lot of watts when you're talking old school power. If you like your music loud then the extra wattage should make your speakers bloom at high db, but if you're like me and seldom get past 4 on your amp, I would think 70 watts is good enough :)
 
Brian said:
I think it depends on several factors. I've had instances where it would be a huge difference and other times you'd never appreciate the difference. It really depends on the average listeing level and the dynamic headroom needed before audible clippping.

A bigger issue may be the noise and distortion of the first 1/2 watt to 1 watt. SS units actually have higher levels at low power levels that is reduced as power goes up. What you want is an amp that on average volumes is in the range where the noise and distortion is at the low point on the graph but, at the same time has sufficient headroom for the dynamics desired or the speaker is capable of.
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Excellent point, I keep telling people this. It is one of the reasons why good tube amps sound so good. Their distortion falls with reducingpower levels. I think what we need are some nice simple graphs of Power VS Distortion for both tube and SS amps. It would then be very clear.

I nearly forgot the point about the odd order distortion that one gets with a SS amp, even at low percentages, the ear notices it. However a good tube amp can generate quite a high percentage of even order distortions, but the ear does not object to that as much as the lower level of odd order distortion generated by a SS amp. I'm rambling now.
 
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The crossover distortion of push-pull amps will occur with tubes or transistors as the output devices.

The switching distortion of transistors is a manifestation of their nonlinearity, which is fundamental and I think why "tubes sound better than transistors" regardless of continuous power capacity or topology of an amplifier.
 
mhardy6647 said:
The crossover distortion of push-pull amps will occur with tubes or transistors as the output devices.

The switching distortion of transistors is a manifestation of their nonlinearity, which is fundamental and I think why "tubes sound better than transistors" regardless of continuous power capacity or topology of an amplifier.
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Agreed, was just going to say something like that.

Just though of another reason for better sound with tubes VS transistors at just a few watts or less output. Most transistor amps are run in AB mode, as tube amp are often done.

However, usually the transistor amps ony run in Class A up to a very small wattage, possibly only mW. However Class AB tube amps often run in class A up to a much higher wattage. I think the Quad II tube amp may be an good example of this. It's 15 Watts RMS per channel and I think it can give a fair amount in class A, certainly more than mW.
 
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Radfordman said:
However a good tube amp can generate quite a high percentage of even order distortions, but the ear does not object to that as much as the lower level of odd order distortion generated by a SS amp. I'm rambling now.
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I've never quite understood the "yeah, but it's an OK type of distortion" thing. :scratch2:
 
Because the even-order distortion represents consonant, rather than dissonant, tones (cf. fundamental, third, fifth, octave in a chord); it is thus considered "euphonic" (as if the amp is creating its own harmony to the undistorted signal). Odd order harmonics are dissonant and grating to the ear. If you don't think amplifier distortion can be of a good kind... listen to the guitar riff on the Rolling Stones' Satisfaction.
 
Amplifier distortion purposely created for a sound effect is one thing, amplifier distortion inadvertently created by the reproduction chain is an entirely different matter.
 
To get back to the original question, which was 2 similar amps from the same manufacturer, one being 70wpc and the other 100wpc.....I doubt you would ever notice a difference. Perhaps if you had the opportunity to hear them in a large room at higher volumes the 100wpc amp would be able to show its worth, but only under those conditions.
 
Chazb11 said:
To get back to the original question, which was 2 similar amps from the same manufacturer, one being 70wpc and the other 100wpc.....I doubt you would ever notice a difference. Perhaps if you had the opportunity to hear them in a large room at higher volumes the 100wpc amp would be able to show its worth, but only under those conditions.
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I think that this is a very sensible statement. One proviso, the amps are either both SS or tube.

A tube amp of a certain wattage can seem more powerful than one might expect, probably due to its soft clipping of peaks.
 
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