Thank you paul for the insight on speaker matching with AMPS. I have recently purchased a Pylon Audio Amber MK2 speakers for stereo and have also purchased a Marantz Pm7000N 60watts at 8ohms and 80 watts at 4ohms. My speakers are 97db and nominal power of 300watts at 4 ohms. I am very happy with the setup and all my doubts clarified . Thank you for enlightening us
"I can see clearly now the rain has gone". Thanks for clearing up something that so many people have confused. I wish i had you as an uncle or neighbour.
That was great Paul, I never really understood that before, makes sense now. I keep following your posts and am sure learning a lot about audio and I thought I knew a lot before, ha. Learning all the time and it is fun! Sure appreciate your videos here.
Paul covered this in another way in another video. A small amp driven to clipping is more harmful to speakers than anything short of just a ridiculous power missmatch. Here's what you do. Get an amp that modestly exceeds the speaker's power handling capability and has it's own gain presets. Turn them all the way down. Turn your main volume full up. Ease the preset gains to the highest level that you will reasonably use within the speaker's linear region. Turn down the preamp to the currently desired level. Done. Speakers fully matched to the system and protected from amp clipping and over excursion.
You should calibrate using pink noise at -20dB as the signal. And you can for instance measure at listening position at 85 dB. Then you know that you will never play more than 105dB at listening position. You can of course calibrate using 70, 75. but you must not exceed the max SPL of the speakers ( which sometimes is documented ). There are several videos on youtube that covers how to calibrate studio monitors, and you can do this in the same way. But to be able to do it you need a volume knob on each channel on the power amplifier to be able to do this. And if you can do this, you will be sure, as you said. But I would not try to calibrate while listening to music. Because different music has different loudness levels. Pink noise is controlled.
Great video i have learned so much from watching your videos like ohm matching and so on I have a 90s stereo integrated amp technics SU-G95 Rack Sytem speakers model SB-A55 3 way speaker sytem 260 watt impedance 8 i wanted louder speakers 300 watts i kind of know what to look for matching after watching this video still learning once u think u learned something something else pops up. 5:11
A very long and detailed answer to a very short question, and the correct snswer should have been : "YES. YOU SHOULD USE AN AMP OF 300 WATTS OR LESS". Paul said that on minute 3.50 of the video: "do not acceed the rated power handlig capacity of the speaker in order not to harm it". All the rest of the information is just nice to have. Note that the data of speaker's efficiency is not always indicated, certainly if you buy it second hand.
After a kitchen hand took off with my Bose 800 speakers at an officers's club in W. Germany, I had to perform my show with borrowed bookshelf speakers that were driven by a 200W RMS amp. They began to distort at a very low setting on the mixer. So a powerful amp can be used with even 20W speakers as long as the output is kept below clipping level.
Also keep in mind a speaker can handle much higher short term busts of clean power than its conservatively rated power. Music is peaks and dips. A lower powered amplifier driven into distorted clipping can damage a speaker much easier than an amplifier with more clean power and clean headroom.
For bookshelf speakers, the range is typically 82 to 92db at 1watt/meter. With the Avg I see at 85-86. Alot of Amps under 100 watts are typically used to drive these speakers...with varying results but usually good. Maybe an Amp with more current output, headroom, would be better for discussion as some 100 watt amps can't beat some 50 watt amps. Also, hundreds of watts? Doubt it, at least for home music listening for most people.
It is also another problem that the impedance of some speakers are very skewed. So it can vary all the way from 3 to 8 which means that for some frequencies, it might put out many more watts than for other frequencies. And it might be that the efficiency of the speaker is measured at a frequency that is 8 ohm.... it makes a bit more complicated.
I got some new speakers last week. They're big and should sound really good but they're a bit lacking with my Aiyima a07 class D amp. I think my amp delivers about 130 watts at 6 ohms but these speakers are rated at 250 watts, the speakers are 89db efficient (Yamaha NS-777 floor standing). I ended up wiring up a second pair of 6 ohm speakers to fill out the sound and make it sound richer. It sounds pretty good now but am shopping for a bigger amp, probably a class AB amp next time.
QUESTION: I have a system that I'm VERY happy with except for the bass and treble controls on the stereo amp. They don't add much. I'd like to add a non powered mixer between the CD player and the CD input on the amp. ( the mixer has nice preamps and good bass/treble pots) As long as I keep the output to a minimum, do you see any danger of burning out the CD input on the amp? Thanks (Scott, Halifax Nova Scotia)
Damn, giving you guys a subscription now. Didn't really realize that the speaker impedance mattered on a receiver. Having hooked up a set of JBL 2800 tower speakers to a cheap little sony radio/cd/tape player and it working, didn't think before I bought a new set of speakers. Should have checked my receiver first. Thank god they fall in the impedance rang, but the range seems a little high at 8-16 ohms. Is that just because of how old the receiver is or are there variations on receivers that I should be aware of.
Hello Paul, I love watching your You Tube videos. You have taught me so much. I have a RCA RT2280 Would it be worth getting it fixed its something small not to big a problem. Also do yall work on amps or receivers thats not yalls brand ?
Some one I know bought four 5x7 speakers 200w. They added up 4 times 200 thinking they now need 800 watts to get louder better sound. I hoped to find a video explaining this problem. Sometimes you just can't get a person to listen to what you're trying to say, but someone else they might listen too.
It is instructive to note that with speakers of lower sensitivity, especially 2-way or 3-way systems, an amplifier should be able to easily deliver the rated peak power (or higher) of the speakers. If not, the amplifier can clip and/or distort at high volume settings, and blow out the tweeters. You should NEVER send a clipped or distorted signal to a two or three way speaker system. It is better to go with a higher powered amp per speaker power handling rating, and throttle it back so the speaker gets a clean signal. Of course, any fool can blow out a speaker system by grossly exceeding the power rating, as well...
Hello Paul! What about the impedance? Many 8 Ohms Speaker can go down to about 3 Ohms at certain frequencies and it will influence some amplifiers performance, resulting in a “bad match” experience for the listener
Is sensitivity similar enough to efficiency to use the terms interchangeably? I just bought some speakers that have a Sensitivity rating of 90dB. Is that more less equivalent?
hey there, just found some old speakers in the loft, these are the specs for them. I have 6 of them in total but don't have a clue what sort of amp I need for them? I've watched the vid but am still struggling a bit lol: Main confusion is with multiple speakers... Does multiple speakers affect what amp I need? Power Handling: 300 Watt RMS System Sensitivity: 91 dB Impedance: 8 Ω
Right now i have a pair of Polk es20 hooked up to a Fosi Audio V3 amp and the volume produced is well enough for me but the thing i dont understand is why i would buy a bigger more expensive amp if it puts out the same wattage? I dont have any other amp to compare to so i dont know if the sound from the amp could improve or if the things i find "lacking" in my setup comes from the speaker or the amp
Can I run a pair of 8 ohms and 6 ohms speakers at the same time? My amp is rated for 4-8 ohms. Owners manual says I can run 2 pairs of 8 ohms but not to mix 4 ohms and 8 ohms. Cambridge AXR85 amp. Only 85 watts per channel. Don't really crank it up...seems to be running cool enough/no sign of overheating. I appreciate your technical expertise and really enjoy channel.
Hi Paul, I have a Denon AV Receiver 6700, currently it is set up as 5.1.4 with all 6ohms speakers and now I would like to add 2 rear surrounds to make it as 7.1.4. I have pair of Denon Speakers that came along with my Denon CEOL RCD-N8 Receiver, it's a 6ohms 60W RMS and 120W Peak. My question is to know whether I shall connect it with my Denon AV Receiver or not, because the Surround output is mentioned as 175W + 17W at 6ohms with 2 channels driven. Could you please advise. Thank you.
I just got a used Sunn beta bass 105 cab out of nerd purchase and I got a Peavey mini max 600w bass. Low volumes, sounds amazing. But at a show, will it blow out the 15" speaker?
These are the masters, who rocked the 70s .....
Paul, thank you so much for this video. It took a bit of the magic out of all those specs of speakers and amps!
Your simple, yet in depth explanations was very much highly appreciated. Thank you!
Where does it say ANYWHERE what an amps “efficiency” level is tho???
😊
Just stumbled upon this video while trying to figure out how much power I need for a set of speakers. Perfectly explained.
Same
Many videos and many google searches and finally watch a single video with a pure,precise answer to my question. Thank you.....Very much!
Thank you paul for the insight on speaker matching with AMPS. I have recently purchased a Pylon Audio Amber MK2 speakers for stereo and have also purchased a Marantz Pm7000N 60watts at 8ohms and 80 watts at 4ohms. My speakers are 97db and nominal power of 300watts at 4 ohms. I am very happy with the setup and all my doubts clarified . Thank you for enlightening us
Probably the most important video in Home Theatre tbh. This is a must watch.
"I can see clearly now the rain has gone".
Thanks for clearing up something that so many people have confused. I wish i had you as an uncle or neighbour.
😂@uncle
That was great Paul, I never really understood that before, makes sense now. I keep following your posts and am sure learning a lot about audio and I thought I knew a lot before, ha. Learning all the time and it is fun! Sure appreciate your videos here.
Wow! Thanks Paul, this is the best explanation I have heard on this particular subject. I clearly understand now.
I have being trying to learn this for the past 3 months thank you so much
Just installed my first car audio system and made some mistakes. This channel has been so helpful.
Thank you so much!! No one else is really explaining it like you do!!
paul i truly like watching your videos you give plenty of information on most questions when explained clearly keep them coming we enjoy all
no body can explained these type of things better than you .... love your videos
Awesome explanation thanks for posting and greetings from the ancient megalithic city of TIAHUANAKU BOLIVIA 🇧🇴
Paul covered this in another way in another video. A small amp driven to clipping is more harmful to speakers than anything short of just a ridiculous power missmatch. Here's what you do. Get an amp that modestly exceeds the speaker's power handling capability and has it's own gain presets. Turn them all the way down. Turn your main volume full up. Ease the preset gains to the highest level that you will reasonably use within the speaker's linear region. Turn down the preamp to the currently desired level. Done. Speakers fully matched to the system and protected from amp clipping and over excursion.
You should calibrate using pink noise at -20dB as the signal. And you can for instance measure at listening position at 85 dB. Then you know that you will never play more than 105dB at listening position. You can of course calibrate using 70, 75. but you must not exceed the max SPL of the speakers ( which sometimes is documented ). There are several videos on youtube that covers how to calibrate studio monitors, and you can do this in the same way. But to be able to do it you need a volume knob on each channel on the power amplifier to be able to do this. And if you can do this, you will be sure, as you said. But I would not try to calibrate while listening to music. Because different music has different loudness levels. Pink noise is controlled.
Hi Paul
Thank you very much for the info. I'll keep that in mind. Appreciate it. Have a nice day 😊
finally somebody who knows how to explain
Tell me about it 😒
@@restlessascension3260 he just told you
He could explain this to a 5 yr old....
Such a simple explanation, I am one of those that did not know but now i do.
Thank you for making that clear, I almost made a fatal mistake, you really know what your talking about...
Samee
Excellent explanation! Simple and straight to the point!
Thank you about this very important detail, I had the same question and got it now.
God Bless!
Another very helpful video, thank you Paul.
Thanks for the lesson, you're doing God's work.
Thanks for what you do. Very well exsplained. 👌
Great info Paul,Thanksfor the well explained topic most people wanted to know
Thank you! I've been struggling with how to pair a receiver with the speakers and speakers to the receiver, this was very helpful
Four years late, but i pick up something new on this, thanks.
Thank you very much Paul for the explanation!
You're a great teacher.
Very interesting video. Well explained. Got to find that high dB set of speakers now!
Thanks for your insight on this very difficult issue!
Paul Thank You so Much this issue was driving me Crazy.
This is so helpful. Thank you so much
Thanks so much for clarifying that point!
Great video i have learned so much from watching your videos like ohm matching and so on I have a 90s stereo integrated amp technics SU-G95 Rack Sytem speakers model SB-A55 3 way speaker sytem 260 watt impedance 8 i wanted louder speakers 300 watts i kind of know what to look for matching after watching this video still learning once u think u learned something something else pops up. 5:11
That was a very good video and explanation. Thank you very much.
Such a good explanation!Thank you for info👍
A very long and detailed answer to a very short question, and the correct snswer should have been : "YES. YOU SHOULD USE AN AMP OF 300 WATTS OR LESS". Paul said that on minute 3.50 of the video: "do not acceed the rated power handlig capacity of the speaker in order not to harm it". All the rest of the information is just nice to have. Note that the data of speaker's efficiency is not always indicated, certainly if you buy it second hand.
Awesome video extremely helpful!!
Great insight as always
Thanks you for the information ... very useful !!
Thank you so much!! now i know how much watt i need for the speakers.
After a kitchen hand took off with my Bose 800 speakers at an officers's club in W. Germany, I had to perform my show with borrowed bookshelf speakers that were driven by a 200W RMS amp. They began to distort at a very low setting on the mixer. So a powerful amp can be used with even 20W speakers as long as the output is kept below clipping level.
I run klipsch r35 at 125w per speaker powered by 80w denon amp x7. Over 10 years low and no problem
Thanks for a very informative topic
Thank you for explaining that clearly. It was educational.
I like plain English technical explanations. Thanks!
Wow that definitely helped a lot thank you very much.
A Gem of knowledge.
Excellent info for my brain.👍👍👍
best explanation, thank you
Thank you sir....I learned something today
Power isn't everything! Thanks for clearing this up! All my speakers are 93+ so I don't have to pump them so much {200/250 Watts)
Thanks for sharing Your knowledge 😀👍♥️💯💯
thanks! this helped a lot.
Thankyou so much sir, simply put
Also keep in mind a speaker can handle much higher short term busts of clean power than its conservatively rated power. Music is peaks and dips. A lower powered amplifier driven into distorted clipping can damage a speaker much easier than an amplifier with more clean power and clean headroom.
For bookshelf speakers, the range is typically 82 to 92db at 1watt/meter. With the Avg I see at 85-86. Alot of Amps under 100 watts are typically used to drive these speakers...with varying results but usually good. Maybe an Amp with more current output, headroom, would be better for discussion as some 100 watt amps can't beat some 50 watt amps. Also, hundreds of watts? Doubt it, at least for home music listening for most people.
This dude is the Oracle of sound engineering for newbies
spot on. thanks a lot
It is also another problem that the impedance of some speakers are very skewed. So it can vary all the way from 3 to 8 which means that for some frequencies, it might put out many more watts than for other frequencies. And it might be that the efficiency of the speaker is measured at a frequency that is 8 ohm.... it makes a bit more complicated.
Thanks so much for the info
Good info, thank you.
It helps a lot.
that helped me out so much
Respect 🙏 from Indonesia 🇮🇩
Thank you!
Thank you! Thank you!
I understand that what you explained is "sensitivity" not "efficiency," although the two are related.
Thanks it helps alot
I got some new speakers last week. They're big and should sound really good but they're a bit lacking with my Aiyima a07 class D amp. I think my amp delivers about 130 watts at 6 ohms but these speakers are rated at 250 watts, the speakers are 89db efficient (Yamaha NS-777 floor standing). I ended up wiring up a second pair of 6 ohm speakers to fill out the sound and make it sound richer. It sounds pretty good now but am shopping for a bigger amp, probably a class AB amp next time.
Thank you 🙂
QUESTION: I have a system that I'm VERY happy with except for the bass and treble controls on the stereo amp. They don't add much. I'd like to add a non powered mixer between the CD player and the CD input on the amp. ( the mixer has nice preamps and good bass/treble pots) As long as I keep the output to a minimum, do you see any danger of burning out the CD input on the amp? Thanks (Scott, Halifax Nova Scotia)
thank you sir
Thanks!
Damn, giving you guys a subscription now. Didn't really realize that the speaker impedance mattered on a receiver. Having hooked up a set of JBL 2800 tower speakers to a cheap little sony radio/cd/tape player and it working, didn't think before I bought a new set of speakers. Should have checked my receiver first. Thank god they fall in the impedance rang, but the range seems a little high at 8-16 ohms. Is that just because of how old the receiver is or are there variations on receivers that I should be aware of.
He is great at explaining! Thank you
Thank you
Hello Paul, I love watching your You Tube videos. You have taught me so much. I have a RCA RT2280 Would it be worth getting it fixed its something small not to big a problem. Also do yall work on amps or receivers thats not yalls brand ?
omg this explains so much. damn!!
Well Explained Thank you, I know feel more comfortable connecting my 120 Watt RMS (4 ohm @ 80 Hz) Amplifier (from a Welling WS10 Sub) to my 400 Watt RMS (800 W Peak) 94dB Efficient 4 Ohm Loud Speaker (Boss Audio D10F)
Some one I know bought four 5x7 speakers 200w. They added up 4 times 200 thinking they now need 800 watts to get louder better sound. I hoped to find a video explaining this problem. Sometimes you just can't get a person to listen to what you're trying to say, but someone else they might listen too.
I didn't know that, thanks
It is instructive to note that with speakers of lower sensitivity, especially 2-way or 3-way systems, an amplifier should be able to easily deliver the rated peak power (or higher) of the speakers. If not, the amplifier can clip and/or distort at high volume settings, and blow out the tweeters. You should NEVER send a clipped or distorted signal to a two or three way speaker system. It is better to go with a higher powered amp per speaker power handling rating, and throttle it back so the speaker gets a clean signal. Of course, any fool can blow out a speaker system by grossly exceeding the power rating, as well...
Hello Paul! What about the impedance? Many 8 Ohms Speaker can go down to about 3 Ohms at certain frequencies and it will influence some amplifiers performance, resulting in a “bad match” experience for the listener
Is sensitivity similar enough to efficiency to use the terms interchangeably? I just bought some speakers that have a Sensitivity rating of 90dB. Is that more less equivalent?
any modern speaker suggestion to match vintage sansui receivers?
Thanks
hey there, just found some old speakers in the loft, these are the specs for them. I have 6 of them in total but don't have a clue what sort of amp I need for them? I've watched the vid but am still struggling a bit lol: Main confusion is with multiple speakers... Does multiple speakers affect what amp I need?
Power Handling:
300 Watt RMS
System Sensitivity: 91 dB
Impedance: 8 Ω
Ah, now that explanation makes much more sense than other ways I have heard it explained!
Right now i have a pair of Polk es20 hooked up to a Fosi Audio V3 amp and the volume produced is well enough for me but the thing i dont understand is why i would buy a bigger more expensive amp if it puts out the same wattage? I dont have any other amp to compare to so i dont know if the sound from the amp could improve or if the things i find "lacking" in my setup comes from the speaker or the amp
Thank u
What about the amps damping factor and getting the correct speakers to match?
Can I run a pair of 8 ohms and 6 ohms speakers at the same time? My amp is rated for 4-8 ohms. Owners manual says I can run 2 pairs of 8 ohms but not to mix 4 ohms and 8 ohms.
Cambridge AXR85 amp. Only 85 watts per channel. Don't really crank it up...seems to be running cool enough/no sign of overheating.
I appreciate your technical expertise and really enjoy channel.
Hi Paul, I have a Denon AV Receiver 6700, currently it is set up as 5.1.4 with all 6ohms speakers and now I would like to add 2 rear surrounds to make it as 7.1.4. I have pair of Denon Speakers that came along with my Denon CEOL RCD-N8 Receiver, it's a 6ohms 60W RMS and 120W Peak. My question is to know whether I shall connect it with my Denon AV Receiver or not, because the Surround output is mentioned as 175W + 17W at 6ohms with 2 channels driven. Could you please advise. Thank you.
I just got a used Sunn beta bass 105 cab out of nerd purchase and I got a Peavey mini max 600w bass. Low volumes, sounds amazing. But at a show, will it blow out the 15" speaker?
thank god for Paul
Wow - than you!