chris1973 wrote:
This all brings up another issue I didn't understand until I had an amplifier with meters on it.I would hope somebody else chimes in on the issue:
We buy speakers that have 100-200 watt capability, and a lot of us buy amplifiers that can exceed 100-200 watts, but depending on your speakers, your actual listening level probably starts hurting before you reach 50-60 watt peaks. Despite this we still seem to think those 200watt specifications, and 110+db simulations we get from them, are of any practical importance.
Chris:
Off the top of my head, three things pop up. First, if you are using meters you may not be seeing true short term peaks. A scope would tell you that. If the amp is really clipping, the clipping behavior of the amp will determine how bad the distortion is. That is why many low power class A single ended amps reach way beyond their rated power. They generally clip in a very benign way. Their actual distortions are not as objectionable.
The second thing is that the drivers (or in rare cases the crossover components) may be distorting. You would have to see the driver distortion vs power input to determine that, Some drivers have very low distortion untill you reach Xmax and then go ballistic. Others have distortion levels that climb more gradually.
The third thing that is often overlooked is your ears. At some point not only does the level sound unrealistic, you can push your ears into a non-linear region.
Anyone else have other ideas?