Topic: Choosing an amplifier

[will_blix]

Hi to all!
My apology for this newbie questions. Ano po ba ang tama? Ung magkabit ako ng amplifier na mas mataas ang wattage rating sa speaker or the way around. Let's say, I found a generic amps with 400 Watts per channel stereo out to be connected to a 150 Watter speakers! Sorry pero magsisimula pa lang po ako. Thanks!

[mixx]

hi sir will

it is recommended that amplifiers should be about 1.5 - 2 x the rms rating of the speaker, ie 150wrms @ 8ohms speaker could be powered by an amplifier rating 200-300wrms/ch @ 8ohms, try to take note of the speaker impedances also when matching

[will_blix]

Marami pong salamat sir mixx!!!

[ATJr.]

@will_blix,

i hope you don't mind, here is a guy at tipidpc selling homebrewed amps. might be worth checking out. i have know him in that forum for years now although i have not met him personally.
he's handle is pilyo.....you have to register in order to view this if i am not mistaken...
http://tipidpc.com/viewitem.php?iid=734004

[macmac09]

just to add to the question, paano po kng tube yng amp. usually mababa yng output power diba. i assume na yung 25w ng solid state at 25w ng tube pareho lang. kailangan pa ba doble ng rated power ng speakers yng bibilhing amp? tnx

[ATJr.]

i do not pay much attention to speaker power rating...a speaker rated 100watts can still be damaged(burned) if you inject it with a 5watt sine wave! the key here is audition, audition and audition the speaker before you buy....

[AudioAmplified]

Just my humble opinion...

There are lots of "GREY" areas in power rating of amplifier as there are in speaker sensitivity ratings.  Different companies use different standards to measure their wattage so unless you to an actual side by side it would not be comparing apples to apples.  In general, tubes have better driving capabilities than solid state - (more or less 2-3 times the power).  However, more power doesnt necessarily mean better as evidenced by the numerouse people who prefers 2-3 watt single ended tubes over the more powerful counterpart.

[ATJr.]

In general, tubes have better driving capabilities than solid state - (more or less 2-3 times the power).

i tend to agree with this, based on experience, our PA system in high school was a 35watter tube amp and yet could fill the high school track oval with ease...

but i wouldn't call it better, just different.....comparing tubes and ss amps on the basis of energy consumption they would probably be the same.

[accastil]

with regards to amp rating, you should know the speaker specs coz they usually include there the recommended amp power. with regards to sound, you should know very well the character of your speakers because you dont want to make the mistke of reinforcing a predominant characterstic by choosing an amp having the same Sonic character as your speakers. the aim generally is to come up with a well balanced SQ..a dull for a bright, a bright for a dull. its a matter of trial and error and the best setting to do this is within your own home, using your existing gears.

[will_blix]

Up ko lang ulit yung sa akin. The problem here is, that the only specs I had is the figures located at the back panel of the wooden casing of my speakers. 150 Watts rating but didn't tell if it is in RMS or PMPO. I have just recover those items from my auntie when they are disposing old items. In addition, I'd like to make a new casing for the speakers for the assumptions that it may improve the bass and sound quality.

Also in the front panel, it displays that it is a four (4) way sytem and I dont know what it is. I have just hooked it up in my JVC component rated 2500 PMPO and have just worked fine. I am just worried that greater wattage of amps power output will explode the voice coil of the speakers. Also, if possible, is there anyone who can give any guides pertaining to speaker closures. Thanks!

[av_phile1]

There's a good chance the speaker is rated on average power.  Even assuming it is peak rated, just halve it to get an indicative RMS handling ability. 

You can safely dispense withthe PMPO rating, as this has little technical signifance and more a marketing hype. Check the max electrical power consumption at the back of your JVC component.  Bear in mind that you cannot give out more than what you took in.  Divide the power consumption figure by 5 or the number of channels and multiply the result by 0.6 for typical class AB efficiency and you get a fairly good idea of the maxed audio power per channel. 

[ATJr.]

hi,
as i said earlier, even if it is rated for 150watts, whatever that means, your speakers can still be damaged with a 5watt sine wave input. but then who listens to sine waves?

what i mean is if you were able to connect it successfully to your amp at 2500watt pmpo, then you have nothing to worry about.

your speaker is a 4-way, so it will have a woofer, a low-mid, a hi-mid and a tweeter, or it can have a woofer, a mid, a tweeter and a super tweeter.

modern speakers are often two-ways, some even full-range....

[Bogsle]

Guys,

Would like to ask for comments and suggestion for the following multi-channel amps:


Rotel RMB1095

Producing a full kilowatt (1000 watts!) of output power, Rotel's RMB-1095 is a stunning realization of Rotel's capabilities in amplifier design. It is, for all intents and purposes, a multi-channel version of the RB-1090 stereo power amplifier, already recognized as one of the finest amplifiers available at any price from any manufacturer. Rated at 200 watts per channel (all 5 channels driven into 8 ohms, 20 Hz 20 kHz, less than 0.03% THD), the RMB-1095's power supply is built around two 1.2 kVA toroid transformers. Eight 15,000 uf British-made BHC slit foil capacitors provide prodigious storage capacity and combine with 30 150 watt/15 amp output devices for uncompressed reproduction of the most dynamic source material. A sophisticated "over current" protection circuit with front panel LED indicators guards against potentially harmful operating conditions. Special "current absorbers" minimize turn-on surges while gold plated balanced XLR and single-ended RCA inputs provide easy connection to a variety of controller/preamplifiers. Heavy rear casters assist in placing the amplifier.


Primare A30.5

The A30.5 is a five channel modular power amplifier, designed as an ideal output stage in a home theatre.

It incorporates five discrete compact mono channels, each with a separate heavy duty toroidal transformer, a separate power supply and ultra-fast bipolar output devices in a push-pull configuration.

The input stage of each channel consists of a single FET transistor and the output of four Toshiba power transistors.

The heat sinks are massive to keep the temperature at moderate level even at the most difficult working conditions.

A30.5's intelligent stand-by switch can be controlled from the Primare processors and the system remote control.

The A30.5 is simply a glorious piece of Hi-Fi, configured for today's five channel requirements.



Both of these amps cost almost the same, around PHP120,000.00. The Rotel outputs 200watt/ch @ 8ohm, while the Primare 120watts/ch @ 8ohms. Rotel sports 2 huge 1.2kva toroidal transformers to power all 5 channels, while the Primare used 5 discrete toroidal transformers, one for each channel.

Any other suggestions would be welcome.

Thank you very much.