When an amp runs out of power, it will clip no matter whether it is tube or ss. The difference is the way they clip. SS flattens the tops resulting in harsh distortion while tubes sound like compression which doesn't sound bad and sometimes goes unnoticed. Both will cause driver damage.

Amplifier power is specified in watts, which are a measure of heating power, with no apparent relationship to what we hear. Loudspeakers like humans perceive things in dB (decibel) steps.

And i quote myself:

The difference in dbw between a 50W and a 100W amp are only 3dBw, and remember 1dB is the smallest change in sound pressure level that the human ear can perceive UNDER IDEAL LISTENING CONDITIONS.


Also, it is interesting to note that the basic measure of speaker sensitivity is at 1 metre and not at a typical listening distance of about 10 feet or 3½ metres.
Sound reduces over distance at the rate of 6dB with each doubling of the distance. At 2 metres distance from the loudspeaker its perceived sensitivity is reduced by 6dB. At a normal listening distance of about 10 or 11 feet from the loudspeaker its perceived sensitivity will be reduced by approximately 10dB.

An interesting link:

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/dB.html#example

I'm currently running a Crown xti-2000 475 watts per channel into 8 ohms. I'm extremely impressed with the effortless sonic quality, and the detail at low listening levels. It's the best $699.00 I ever spent!

Great distinctions, Alvaro. I gave my son an Akai integrated receiver that put out about 40 wpc. Didn't seem to matter what speakers I put it with, I never had to turn it above about 4 (it had a very distinctive design with sliders) for the volume to be high. Tony's comment on the Crown encapsulates a lot of the discussion: Max Headroom means never having to say you are sorry...

When I first started getting back into this hobby I was still running my SAE powre amp, it eventually deveoped some issues, rather than repairing it, still not, I looked for another pwr amp. I found a Parasound that was rated at about 50 wpc more than the SAE, after taking it home and giving it a try I found it could not compete with the Parasound with all of the same equipment and room being the same, back it went. When I returned it the salesman asked me what I thought, when I told him it wouldn't compete with my SAE he was pi$$ed and told me that Parasound was one of the highest ranked amps of the time. Maybe so, but to me it didn't cut it. I went to a small Hafler to GAS Son of Ampzilla from there and was once again happy (for a while).

Jim

Being a James B. SAE/GAS fan myself, I'm not surprised Not knocking Parasound or anything.

I just purchased this little gem from my past, I always loved this sleeper among giants, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=380108909832

I hope my memory was correct that this was a fine little 50 watter in the MosFet done right kinda way!

I just have to get a system built around it or just use it for a superb headphone amp. A small amp done right can be a dream, just ask the Brits who love their little integrateds

I have two amps now, my yamaha mx-2000 is 130 watts per channel, class A,

and my new addition is the $60.00 Adcom GFA 555 runs 200 watts at 8ohms and 325 watts @ 4ohms respectively.

as tim taylor used to say, "more power"

elroy

I've always liked the looks of the Ampzilla and Son of...

Maybe one day I'll grab one- not that I need any more amps....

Good luck with that Sanyo!

And glad to hear of more James Bongiorno fans out there!

My mains are Yamaha ST-1's at 8 ohms with 360 watt built-in amps each. Earlier, the metal amp plate stamp looked like 380 but the light must have been bad.

They're connected directly to a Proceed AVP2 +6 pre-pro. Other channels are powered by a Proceed AMP 5 at 8 ohms with 125 watts per channel.

Standing watch down low: SVS Ultra 13 RMS handling listed at 750 watts and the HSU MBM-12's have 350 watt SS amps each.

Linn 2250 Power Amp: 100W @ 8 ohms, 200W @ 4 ohms
Nait 5i Integrated Amp: 50W @ 8 ohms, 100W @ 4 ohms and can drive 2 ohm loads easily.

Both are british amps.

ShengYa PSM-600 Mono-Blocks, 150W Pure Class A or 600W Class AB1 into 8 ohms, 1200W into 4 ohms, 2400W into 2 ohms, 3000W into 1 ohm. Out for review at Dagogo, so main amp again is RITA-880, 45W Class A/Ultralinear which sounds like typical 100W Class A power wise.

I don't know about everyone else but I can hear a more powerful amp at low volumes. They sound heavier or 'more balls', where lower power amps sound lighter, more finess if matched right with the speakers. SS amps, usually the more power the better, tube amps you should try and match the power to your needs, if you only need a few watts, then the different flavours of tubes opens up new worlds to explore.

Another thing to consider when going big power is if the designer paid any attention to what was happening at 1 to 10 watts, which is where we spend a lot of time listening to music (until we get the place to ourselves . For big SS power I like to suggest going with Pure Class A or partial Class A auto switching to Class A/B, then you know that the circuitry is designed for the full range of the amplification.

Cheers,
Ian

Doubling power as the load goes from 8 to 4 ohm is key. Not all amps can double again from 4 to 2 ohm. I look for this.