Amplifier and loudspeaker matching

David_Aston

Not sure if this is a reasonable techie question.
For more than fifty years, I have been interested in "HiFi".
Decent system assembled now after all those years, but still, as my question will reveal, not a great grasp of the electrics involved.
I have been considering a way to release my wife from the rather intimidating cocoon she sits in, of an evening. Just barely getting her chair between the large loudspeakers, and over the last couple of years the paired up sub woofers in order to watch tele.
So, replace the floor standers, with the smallest standmounts, and hope the subs can replace the lost bass. I will of course spend hours in Unilet, Grahams Hifi, even Richer Sounds doing due diligence. My question if anyone is still awake! Most speaker manufacturer suggest a power amp output range for their products. This range being naturally limited for small speakers. Is it simply a case of being very careful with volume levels, if existing power amps are far more powerful than suggested range? I reckon I can live with that. Will be grateful for any comments guys, as always.

paddyrg

Yep, basically, just don't turn it up loud. For safety, always turn the volume right down before turning the amplifier on or off to prevent an amplified surge going through to the speakers.

Owain_Moneysaver

You are often better using a more powerful amp at low levels, than a lower power amp driven hard into clipping, which will blow speakers (especially tweeters).

boatman

You just want a new toy....

getmore4less

Get a sound bar for the TV and leave the rest as is

Fire it up for the programs that benefit from the proper surround sound


(more important than the power is the impedance)

ukcarper

What is the power output of your amp plenty of small speakers can handle 100w and power rating is not determined by size of cabnet. Mind you a small speaker on a stand can be almost as intrusive as a floor standing speaker.

Norman_Castle

David_Aston wrote: »

if existing power amps are far more powerful than suggested range?

What amp have you got? Most domestic amps are between 30-60 watts, Most small speaker are 60-80 watts. Amplifier outputs are often misrepresented. My current amp is sold as 35 wpc (at 8 ohm) but could be sold as 200 wpc (at 2 ohm).
The last amp I had which showed output power rarely hit 1 watt at sensible listening volumes. Overloading speakers is normally done by teenagers or drunks. After 50 years of owning hifi I doubt you will need to see just how loud it will go.

thescouselander

Measuring power output for a amps is extremely complicated and there are a number of different ways to calculate it - you might not be comparing apples with apples just looking at the ratings on the box.

I'd say the only thing to worry about is getting the correct impedance. After that just buy whatever sounds best. You can probably ignore power ratings as these are used more as a marketing tool rather than a technical spec.

David_Aston

Thanks for all your comments guys. Boatman, I seriously would prefer to stay with my Spendor floorstanders, ancient as they are.
I believe the claimed output of each Quad monoblok I recently liberated from Unilet, is 180 watts into 8 ohms rms.
I appreciate the point about stands producing pretty much floorstander dimensions, but if you look at the dimensions for the SP100r's, they are pretty bulky. In a perfect world, I would just pop a pair of Trenner and Friedl "Suns" on top of the subs, but I know that hifi life isn't that simple!

David_Aston

Coincidentally getmore, I am also waiting for Unilet to deliver and fit a Sony A1 tele, partly chosen on the basis of it being a rare flat screen, which might just about get away without a soundbar!

Norman_Castle

David_Aston wrote: »

I believe the claimed output of each Quad monoblok I recently liberated from Unilet, is 180 watts into 8 ohms rms.

How loud do you play music? Enjoyably loud but sensible is unlikely to damage speakers. Find speakers you like then check with the supplier for compatibility.