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Amps for Home [message #65782] Thu, 20 January 2011 19:25 Go to next message
Lancelot is currently offline  Lancelot
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Most amps I see are on big halls with a lot of people. I don't have a big house at the moment but I'm thinking about amps for homes. I mean there are times when I have parties and the speaker volume won't be enough. Besides the quality of the sound is not good anymore when the volume is maxed.
Re: Amps for Home [message #65784 is a reply to message #65782] Thu, 20 January 2011 20:22 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Adveser is currently offline  Adveser
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Lancelot wrote on Thu, 20 January 2011 19:25
Most amps I see are on big halls with a lot of people. I don't have a big house at the moment but I'm thinking about amps for homes. I mean there are times when I have parties and the speaker volume won't be enough. Besides the quality of the sound is not good anymore when the volume is maxed.



Here are some numbers that might interest you.

This sort of thing doesn't exist on a stereo speaker set with an integrated amp as far as I know. Get speakers that can handle 200watts and get a 100wpc Amp and this sort of thing is a thing of the past. Do not use any bass boost though on the amp if it has it. Get a pre-amp if a specific source needs one because it doesn't sound right. Sort out those problems before it even touches the amp's circuitry.

50 watts is loud as hell and every time you double the wattage you get a measly 3db of gain, so that said, it seems twice as loud every 10db you add.

You have to decide what volume you plan on using the most and build accordingly. Severely under-powering a system will ruin the sound too.

50-100watts has always been perfect in my experience. I would rather max out a 12.5 watt amp than draw 12.5 watts from a 100wpc system, which is why my amp has no pre-amp section.


Re: Amps for Home [message #65932 is a reply to message #65784] Wed, 02 February 2011 01:29 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Lancelot is currently offline  Lancelot
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Thanks for the explanation. I will have to check my speakers so that I would tell you exactly what wattage they have.

Now if I understand this correctly, having a higher amps will produce a better sound. So is it better to just buy speakers with higher watts than buying amps to make the sound better?
Re: Amps for Home [message #65934 is a reply to message #65782] Wed, 02 February 2011 02:14 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Adveser is currently offline  Adveser
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In my experience, the louder something is and the closer it is to it's wattage limitations, the flatter the speaker response. 120db is going to be loud enough for a concert and isn't that hard to get on 240watt speakers. I've had my stuff that loud and it HURTS. I've had these speakers for 20 years and still haven't broken them in because they can handle so much current. The funny thing is that I have taken the drivers out of the cabinet and they weigh next to nothing. Get it LOUD man, it can only help. Your ears will tell you when it gets really distorted to turn it down.

Re: Amps for Home [message #65972 is a reply to message #65934] Fri, 04 February 2011 00:00 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Lancelot is currently offline  Lancelot
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What do you mean by flatter response? How can I gauge the speaker whether it will produce a flat response or not?

It is truly amazing how a very small and light thing can produce a very loud sound.
Re: Amps for Home [message #65978 is a reply to message #65972] Fri, 04 February 2011 12:37 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Adveser is currently offline  Adveser
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Lancelot wrote on Thu, 03 February 2011 22:00
What do you mean by flatter response? How can I gauge the speaker whether it will produce a flat response or not?

It is truly amazing how a very small and light thing can produce a very loud sound.


Well the speaker doesn't really output a flatter signal, it produces a more compressed signal which your ear will perceive as flatter at the end of the day because quieter sounds will be closer to the louder sounds in amplitude. This is why guitarists are picky about wattage, they want the speaker cones to start breaking up at a certain level. You may or may not want to do that on your home stereo, so that should determine how much wattage you are pumping into the speakers. You would really have to be careful too because tweeters will blow if you are not attenuating the treble closer to it's limitations. And naturally, just because a speaker can handle a certain power rating does not mean you can go nuts by pumping in a 100watt signal at 20hz...that is going to destroy the speaker too despite it being able to handle 240watts, for this example.


Re: Amps for Home [message #66331 is a reply to message #65782] Sat, 26 February 2011 02:26 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Jenny76 is currently offline  Jenny76
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Registered: January 2011
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I know what you mean about amps. It can be so difficult to select the right kinds. I wish I was in a house instead of an apartment so I could have some higher quality equipment. My neighbors would hate me if I had all the things I wanted!
Re: Amps for Home [message #68818 is a reply to message #65782] Tue, 02 August 2011 16:45 Go to previous messageGo to next message
brent29 is currently offline  brent29
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wonderful! Embarassed
Re: Amps for Home [message #71622 is a reply to message #66331] Thu, 01 March 2012 15:17 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Damon73 is currently offline  Damon73
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Jenny76 wrote on Sat, 26 February 2011 02:26
I know what you mean about amps. It can be so difficult to select the right kinds. I wish I was in a house instead of an apartment so I could have some higher quality equipment. My neighbors would hate me if I had all the things I wanted!


I can relate to that, I run into the same problems with my neighbors, and I don't even think I'm very loud. I'm all for common courtesy, but some people really overreact in my opinion. A house would be great. An island would be better. Razz
Re: Amps for Home [message #86420 is a reply to message #65782] Sun, 29 October 2017 11:52 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
WorkingWoman2017 is currently offline  WorkingWoman2017
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I moved into a house last year and was able to buy a better stereo system than I had in the apartment. Neighbors are like that even if you live in a house. I still get the occasional complaint.
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