Some of us may have heard the phrase "It's only the first watt that matters." So, out of curiosity I decided to play with my amp, a reference sine wave and a multimeter to see how much power I was actually using.
I have a Rotel amp with a digital volume control and seldom take the volume above 55, sure as bob, it turns out that's less than 1 watt. Where did I find the 2.83V mark? At a volume of 58, which might be just about enough to unintentionally invite some of the neighbours around in the evenings.
My amp is rated at 60W into 8ohms which I discovered at a volume level of 75 (~22V), this volume is well into the "bass against your chest" region from meagre, stand-mounted B&W CM5s and it plays clean. Which makes me ask again; why do people insist that B&Ws need loads of power?
Does anyone else know the reference voltage of their favourite listening volume? Might be a bit of an ear-opener :thinking:
I have a Rotel amp with a digital volume control and seldom take the volume above 55, sure as bob, it turns out that's less than 1 watt. Where did I find the 2.83V mark? At a volume of 58, which might be just about enough to unintentionally invite some of the neighbours around in the evenings.
My amp is rated at 60W into 8ohms which I discovered at a volume level of 75 (~22V), this volume is well into the "bass against your chest" region from meagre, stand-mounted B&W CM5s and it plays clean. Which makes me ask again; why do people insist that B&Ws need loads of power?
Does anyone else know the reference voltage of their favourite listening volume? Might be a bit of an ear-opener :thinking:
