watts

[ABXX49 20]

Okay, I have a question. I really don't know how to word this, but I think you guys will understand. Okay, so I saw the thread a couple weeks ago (I think it was JimJ) and he was talking about these really big speakers his friend ordered. There are pictures of it in a garage. He then said it gets painfullly loud with only 7watts....That's whats confusing me. There is something I'm obviously missing here. How does it get so loud with only 7watts?

Thanks

[Acidburn 10]

Okay, I have a question. I really don't know how to word this, but I think you guys will understand. Okay, so I saw the thread a couple weeks ago (I think it was JimJ) and he was talking about these really big speakers his friend ordered. There are pictures of it in a garage. He then said it gets painfullly loud with only 7watts....That's whats confusing me. There is something I'm obviously missing here. How does it get so loud with only 7watts?

Thanks

They're really efficient.

[topgun 262]

Indeed.

The more efficient something is, the less power it takes to reach the same levels. But on the same note, you can only have two of the following three: Small size, low end extension, and efficiency.

[MKader17 332]

I choose the last 2... GO BIBS!.

not as impressive as 7 watts but can get my room jammin with 15-20 (per speaker)

[JimJ 11]

Okay, I have a question. I really don't know how to word this, but I think you guys will understand. Okay, so I saw the thread a couple weeks ago (I think it was JimJ) and he was talking about these really big speakers his friend ordered. There are pictures of it in a garage. He then said it gets painfullly loud with only 7watts....That's whats confusing me. There is something I'm obviously missing here. How does it get so loud with only 7watts?

Thanks

In the very early days of audio, amplification was very expensive. There were very low powered amps because that's all people could get, push/pull amps that didn't require massive transformers or output devices that stayed on 100% during the amplification cycle weren't invented until later. So given that you only had a handful of watts to work with for most amps, very high efficiency designs were king...

Those speakers were pulls from a movie theater from the 1950's, so they had to be able to be room-filling with pretty modest amplifiers. The horns on them are over 110dB/W efficient, the woofers are over 100dB/W.

I'm running 8 watts for my apartment setup, the speakers are 96dB/W but the speakers are taller than I am in order to get good bass response, and even at 8 watts the amps weigh 40lbs. each.

Most people in audio have no idea how commoditized (not a word, but it should be) power has become

[ABXX49 20]

This is why I love this place. Thanks a bunch everyone!

-Ryan

[sqguy 0]

Yes, I am seriously considering some 99db subs in my car to replace the 4 12s. I have a little 350rms class d amp I could try. The other day I bought a cheaper but not junk amp for <$40 on ebay. It is a like new return or demo and 2x200rms....amazing. One of my first pounding sub setups in a car ran 75x2 amp on 4 10s, it would move your hair and you could feel it. Another 60x2 amp was rated at 80x2 rms at 2 ohms, it worked best it may have had a subsonic in it.

[///M5 2,833]

The only subs I have ever seen rated anywhere near 99dB that work in a car really, really, really lied about their efficiency.

[JimJ 11]

You'd need to have a cargo van or Suburban-sized SUV in order to fit the enclosure that it'd require...IB is efficient, but not that efficient

[sqguy 0]

Lol, they might be lying as they are cheap subs. I have 4 infinity 300rms in there now and 420rms can't even get them going that hard (150 max rms when IB)....and it is loud enough for my use. So why not try them and see if I can run less power? The other issue is 4 of these 12s weigh a ton, the cheap subs weigh less and I would not have to make a new baffle. And it is like $88 for 4 12s shipped, lol. Only the cheap ones are more efficient. They might be different now but I used them long time ago and they were impressive on limited power...I guess it would kind of be a gamble.

Edited April 14, 2008 by sqguyib

[///M5 2,833]

Lol, might?? Your buying choices regularly confuse me.