Too Many Watts? Is That Even Possible?

We always hear customers talk about watts. "How many watts per channel does it have?" "I need more watts!" "Is that enough watts?"

This week Kevin goes over some of the other variables that go into the equation of how many watts you will need in a vintage stereo system for your situation. Can 50 watts per channel be too much? Watch and find out that and more!

Let us know your thoughts on watts in the comments.

_____________________________________

Shop our store for Skylabs merch, Grado products, Advance Paris, Cambridge Audio, new vinyl records, and more!
`
Good news for our international viewers! You can now order our shirts for international shipping!

Don't miss out! Sign up for our newsletter! Our current vintage inventory is included in every edition.

Join this YouTube channel to get access to the perks:

We just started a Patreon page! You can check that out here:

___________________________________________

Some product links below are affiliate links which means if you buy something we’ll receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

iSonic Ultrasonic Vinyl Record Cleaner (10-Records)

A1 Phono Preamp Vacuum Tube Preamplifier Turntable Pre Amp

Douk VU3 VU meter and A/B switcher

Speaker wire
Voltive 14/2 Speaker Wire

RCA cables
Audiophile 2RCA Male to 2RCA Male Stereo Audio Cable,Gold Plated | 4N Oxgen-Free Copper Core (3 Feet (1M))

_________________________________________________________

Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we’ll receive a small commission.

We have owned and used every product in the links below.

Recommended Turntables:

Follow us on Instagram

Find us on Facebook:

#vintagehifi #vinylrecords #vintagestereo

[glenlapwing]

I’m not happy until all the lights in my neighborhood go dim when I turn my stereo on

[CraigHollabaugh]

"Make the coffin bigger", classic. Good master class on power matching. The entire linear/log/attention discussion very informative. Thanks Skylabs!

[richardclay]

Having been an audio technician for more than 50 years, I've found that explaining that doubling amplifier power only gives one a 3db increase in SPL. Large amps on efficient speakers have the feature of providing more headroom for loud passages, ensuring fewer square waves are delivered to the speakers, can be helpful.

[williamcampbell]

Hey Brother! This is from the 64 year old Black man O.G and music loving audiophile( my full title🤣). Just a comment or two. It's easy to understand. The more efficient the speakers the less watts you need. The reverse is true if you have something like Maggies, then you will need all the watts you can get!! I think also speakers with a big sound stage can seem louder than those that project smaller. Amplifier headroom plays a big part too. One of the amplifiers I have, a classic Hafler 120a is 60 watts, but has a dynamic output in excess of 110 watts. Let's not forget preamplifier output sensitivity!

[jukingeo]

Yes, this was a fun one, and a lot of info here. The first thing is efficiency. Prior to getting into commercial audio, I had pretty much ignored this figure. But, when I started to service and sell commercial equipment, this drastically changed. I had met a fellow that told me that his home system was also his DJ system and I was shocked when he told me that the speakers were a pair of Klipsch Forte II's. Now, I already knew Klipsch was a great speaker, but not for DJ duty. "You are going to blow them, " where my words to him. He shook his head and said, "No. Why don't you come to a party with me and I will show you, " was his answer. So I complied. I went with him and noted that the speakers were rated for 100watts and he was using a power amp that was about the same power. It might have been a Yamaha or Onkyo, but it certainly wasn't a commercial amp. I had shook my head when I saw the size of the room and that he was playing for 200 people and still, I worried he wasn't going to have enough power. After he turned the system on, I was shocked at the volume level. It was nice and clean and he had power to spare through the night. He didn't damage anything either. So I told him, you seem to know something I don't. He nodded and said, "The key is the efficiency." So when we were back at his place, he took out the specs for the speaker and pointed to the 1w/1m SPL figure. He said, "You want to get this number as high as possible. For every 3db higher it is, you need half the power to get to the same volume level." This was eye opening advice and up until that point, I mostly wrote off the figure as something esoteric and high end, but it actually applied to the field I was in. His Forte speakers were rated at 99db efficient 1w/1m. My own COMMERCIAL DJ speakers were 93 db efficent. So doing the math, what my friend did with 100 watts, I would need 400 to do the same. Now, THAT was a lesson learned! Over time though, I had put the efficiency rating right up there with power handling, and this carried over, even when I wasn't a DJ anymore. I always figured more SPL, the less power you need. Something that would come into play with tube amps later on.

However, when it comes to home stereos, power and efficiency isn't everything and generally, more efficient speakers tend to have a rougher response curve. Something not good for imaging and soundstage. In fact it seems that dialing back on the efficiency for a smoother frequency response is more desireable, but it is at the expense of power.

Also, in my later years, I had discovered that the pursuit for more and more power is unwarranted on a home level. I had this huge Onkyo M-504 power amplifier, rated at 160wpc (8ohms), and it was in a bedroom. I had noticed where the meters would "hop", and they would rarely get above 10 watts. So with that amp, I realized that I was grossly overpowered and really didn't need anything over 100watts. Later, like now, I realize that 40 to 80 watts is more than enough. @Kevin, it is funny that you have come upon the figure of about 50wpc and it turns out that is where many of my amplifiers power is at. Despite having speakers of various different efficiencies, it seems like those 50wpc amps are more than enough. Granted if you have a party in a big room with small speakers, then you might need around 100 watts or so. But, you don't need more than that...unless you really want nightclub sound levels...in a house. Then you should use a commercial system.

Now, the volume control taper. I had run into this issue often and many think that if you start off with all the volume in the first 1/3rd turn, that going the rest of the way up would give an idea of how loud the amp can really go. So, if you have an audio taper and are almost up half way and compare it to a receiver that plays at the same volume with the control at the 9 o'clock position, many would pick that one. However, what most people fail to realize is that you WILL reach the amplifier's clipping point WAY earlier than the #10 position on the control. In fact, for the amp with the volume at 9 o'clock, you probably will hit clipping before you reach #5 on the volume control. You might get to 6 or 7 with the audio taper control, but still, there is no way that you would have clean power all the way up. Especially if you start to use boosted bass.

I think a reason why the tapers vary so much is that on earlier amplifiers, they had the loudness compensation, and this required another tap on the volume control. Usually, most designers wanted the tap slightly before the halfway point on the volume control, so the effects of the loudness compensation automatically reduce when the volume is increased. So this will naturally affect the taper for the whole control. Many "audiophile" amps or preamps, do not have a loudness button or tap on the volume control and thus, they have more freedom to select what taper the volume control has.

Great post! Definitely lots of information here. Even though I knew some of it already when it came to speaker efficiency. The bit about the volume control taper is something that isn't so obvious.

[rajoconnor]

100% Accurate! I’ve been restoring advising people regarding audio for years. They never quite understand the logarithmic taper. Matching the speakers and amplifier is very important.

[danstein]

I’ve been playing with stereo gear for a long time and this is the best explanation I’ve ever heard. Keep up the great work!

[TELA-GAMING]

I think a lot of people believe that a 100-watt amp is putting out 100 watts as soon as it is turned on. It is more difficult to damage speakers by over-powering than by under-powering. At normal levels, you are using maybe 20 watts, depending on speaker sensitivity. The excess is for reproducing peaks to avoid clipping the note.

A 20 watts nominal, a music peak may require 10 times this to not clip, so you would want 200 watts.

It's similar to cars. A 400 hp car and a 100 hp car can both easily maintain 60 mph, but when you need to pass cars, the 400 hp will do it with much less stress than the weaker engine. For the same reason you don't drive with the accelerator on the floor, you shouldn't have your stereo volume all the way up.

[williamkelley]

Nice explanation. While explaining this to my son I showed him just what 1WPC (as per my amps meter) really sounds like. A lot louder than he expected.

[georgechronis]

Volume taper is something that most do not comprehend. I have a Pass Labs XP 32 and it has a very very long taper which is extremely useful for different types of speakers. Excellent explanation of watts vs volume control and actual output levels. Very very educational.

[ripjones]

Thoroughly enjoyed this weekly installment. I think years ago, when I was working at Franklin Music, the manufacturers had their "Tim the Tool Man" moment, long before television show -- MORE POWER !!! Speaker manufacturers were trying to keep up with the "Watts Guys". They were having to build stuff that could actually handle the current. I am in complete agreement that I think right now, fifty watts IS probably a really good sweet spot. All of the vintage stuff that I have been picking up, hits right around that sweet spot. Enjoyed this. Thanks ! Rip

[sojourner]

I’m 67. I lived the stereo wars in college in the 70’s, with wonderful stereo stores on Roosevelt Avenue in Seattle’s U-District, like SpeakerLab and Magnolia Hi-Fi. All of us read Stereo Review and High Fidelity mags religiously, looking for the best specs. Two comments: 1. I know from experience that 1 watt continuous (according to my receiver’s meter) is VERY loud. That said, the meter doesn’t capture transient spikes, which is why SOME wattage headroom is needed. 2. I once (in 1977) heard a a tiny, white Advent radio playing through a Klipsch Horn. It was AMAZING what a super efficient speaker could do with low watts. My college receiver was a Pioneer SX680. I now have a Pioneer SX950. Both have more than adequate power for Bach or Boston…

[Gitarzan]

I'm 58, 80's metalhead. Lifelong Pizza Hut driver lol. Musicain. I've had a lot of speakers over the years but I'm still looking for THE speakers. I've never had speakers that I just loved to death. I'm glad I found your channel. I'm watching a lot of videos and doing my homework. After I sell my house and get the hell out of Aurora Co. I'm going to put a vintage sterio together. We're looking for a house in Misoouri so we might even road trip up to your store.

[Peter-]

Great learning video!. My biggest thing with audio has always been the THD being the lowest possible number. Now I have much more to consider, thanks!

[burlingtonbill]

I've never owned Klipsch speakers, but I met Paul W. Klipsch at a seminar once, many years ago. He was famous for repeating his mantra of "What the world really needs is a GOOD ten-watt amplifier!" I had a friend in college that packed up his LaScalas, took them out to a BIG city park, and powered them off his Pioneer car stereo (with about 8 watts per channel.) It sounded terrific, and it was LOUD! You had to SEE it to believe it !!

[OldGuyHifi]

I don't think my light bulb is working any more! Great video my friend.

[arnoldschloss]

Great perspective on wattage Kevin! On my Sansui 5050 (30 WPC) connected to my Klipsch Heresy III's (99db efficiency); once you turn the volume past the 9 o'clock position, you get into eardrum shattering volume levels!

[frh-freerangehuman]

New subscriber. This video explains the exact confusion I had over my 1978 15 watt Kenwood and 1980 50 watt Sony receivers.

Never knew that about the volume knobs but makes perfect sense.

Great channel

[derrickhogue]

This is a good explanation video. Not to technical, but simply explained that you can see the logic of it. Where were you 30 years ago when I was caught up in the More Watts era thinking.

[jlcougilljr]

Hi Kevin, VERY good point you mentioned on the volume taper-hell! no one really ever talks about that much at all. after learning about that decades ago from just reading hi-fi mags some of my friends thought i was f****n crazy. yeah-that Sansui is simply a work of art in every aspect, hopefully one day i will have one-i can dream! great content brother! \m/ \m/