The best thing about hifi equipment, videos about audio and music is that it is so therapeutic and a means of escape from the harsh and mundane realities of everyday life.
@PooNinja
Жыл бұрын
Lost in the music 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
@shipsahoy1793
Жыл бұрын
🤔So that’s why I like it. 🤣 I thought the mere mention of music was enough to soothe this savage beast lol
@artyfhartie2269
Жыл бұрын
@@shipsahoy1793 Essential for good health too
@artyfhartie2269
Жыл бұрын
@@PooNinja Essential for good health tol.
@HansDelbruck53
Жыл бұрын
@@shipsahoy1793 It's savage breast, not savage beast.
short, sweet, to the point. come to think of it, thats how i like my women too!
@djphiliptan
Жыл бұрын
Plus, guitar players are often seeking that distorted, saturated-amp sound to add harmonics to their playing. You won't get that if your amp has massive amounts of headroom.
@hoobsgroove
Жыл бұрын
That's right
@digggerrjones7345
Жыл бұрын
Exactly!!
@Roosville1
Жыл бұрын
It historical , _Typically_ a sine wave has power described as 70.7% of a square wave given the same pk-pk voltage amplitude (area under a curve). If you overdrive your power amp into clipping because it’s under-powered, then the output becomes square and you will begin to dissipate serious heat into the driver, melt the voice coil adhesive and such. You will also develop a very high upper harmonic power, and may fry the tweeter. The idea is if you have a much larger amplifier then you won’t clip, so you wont toast anything. Is more about gear preservation than getting better audio. For the guitar speakers you would expect that the amplifier would be driven into clipping hence you need the bigger wattage speaker to cope with the extra power from essentially a square wave. The speaker is designed to take the punishment and also to undergo cone-break-up to add “tone” to the amp, hence the best guitar speakers have a small 1” voice coil. My Celestion open back cabinet is 103dB/Watt , and extend to nearly 6kHz.it’s a totally different design requirement.
@SuperMcgenius
Жыл бұрын
Thanks, you saved me from writing 😂👍
@jpatrickmoore5158
Жыл бұрын
My Large Advent speakers (back in the 70's) had a switch on the back that could attenuate the high frequency power going to the tweeter, so you wouldn't fry the tweeter.
@williamgombert7710
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Paul for answering my question.
@djzoloft
Жыл бұрын
En waar woon je? Kan het niet ontcijferen...Goeie vraag!
@djzoloft
Жыл бұрын
Kobbegem dus.
@bf0189
Жыл бұрын
Lots of headroom is needed for playback especially with such demanding speakers to prevent clipping and other things. That said distortion specifically second harmonic distortion is wonderful and that's why we capture it when we record music. If the artist intended there to be overdrive , distortion etc it'll be in the recording. This is how I got into audio funnily enough. When I was a teen my Dad got his new amp from Emotiva with his Axioms speakers... I noticed the music sounded so much clearer but louder yet we could have a clear conversation at the same time. I can't describe it but the synergy was immense especially for a modest system. The old mass produced amp just wasn't cutting it. One of those rare magical eureka moments awakened in me...and I got the importance of getting a quality amplifier. It led me on this whacky strange path for good audio.
@adrianlara442
Жыл бұрын
It is very easy to explain. Guitar amplifiers are "musical instruments" not "audio equipment", and thus their usage differs. I've been an audio professional for over 20 years and enjoy your videos very much Paul.
@scaryperson27
Жыл бұрын
The argument that I have seen people make is that you want the headroom to avoid clipping. I have ran six watt amps and thousand Watt amps. Neither have hurt my speakers. I think it depends more on the sound you want and what you expect to gain from the amplifier
@georgelien
Жыл бұрын
Wow ! >__< What a beautiful black speaker
@jurggreuter3306
Жыл бұрын
The problem begins when the amp starts clipping, this causes a lot of high frequency output. With a hifi speaker, all this power goes into the tweeter, and a tweeter in a 100 Watt speaker can't handle 100 Watt. So when you have enough headroom, the amp won't start clipping. It's getting really loud, but the frequency distribution won't change. 'm not an expert with guitar speakers, but I assume that they have only one driver. So this driver can handle a clipping amp, and you're on the better side when the amp isn't too powerful.
@spacemissing
Жыл бұрын
Speaker manufacturers sometimes recommend a range of amplifier power rather than assigning a single value. That is, I think, the best because it reduces fixation on specific numbers.
@ssgeek4515
Жыл бұрын
I believe it's the current that maintains the voltage to the drivers so why not say this speaker has a maximum ac voltage of.....? Before the tweeters pop?
@realitykicksin8755
Жыл бұрын
Much better to discuss impedance. Phase change and amplifier stability. For instance ... an electrostatic speaker can kill an amplifier
@paulstubbs7678
Жыл бұрын
About right. Audiophiles don't run their amps near clipping, whereas most guitar players run them into square waves, or rather a valve amp's version of such. Gotta have that fuzz, crunch, overdrive etc.
@amareshpereira
Жыл бұрын
Bless you Paul!
@ThinkingBetter
Жыл бұрын
Smaller amps can more easily start clipping the signal when playing loud and clipping yields higher frequency harmonic distortion that can burn your tweeters that are typically rated at much lower power.
@leekumiega9268
Жыл бұрын
The reason is that severe clipping produces almost a square wave which has twice the power of a sine wave of the same amplitude. Clipping is hardest on tweeters so you want enough power to give plenty of headroom for short duration transients so not to destroy the tweeter. Guitar amps do not have tweeters to destroy by clipping the amplifier.
@birgerolovsson5203
Жыл бұрын
You want so much power so the amplifier never distort the signal so you want more power than the speaker can handle. Best way to burn an element is to use a weak amplifier and put the treble on 10, the max setting.
@theonl1128
Жыл бұрын
And you're right again Paul. 😊
@danielgeiger7739
Жыл бұрын
Maybe also consider amp design, particularly pure class A. Arguing that Nelson Pass is duping customers with selling 25 W pure class A amp does not sound right. 87 dB sensitivity with 1 Watt = 87 dB SPL at 1 m. That is LOUD! I typically listen at 65-70 dB SPL, even sitting away 2-3 m does not require 1 W. Even assuming bad speaker impedance curve (dipping by half of nominal) still does not require 1 W. So 25 W (even 10W tube amp) is plenty for the VAST majority of home scenarios.
@Channel-cm7yc
Жыл бұрын
Linearity is the operative word and it’s a real thing and WOW is it ever. It really does make all the difference when listening. I think to most everyday folks out there who use that narrative power is associated mostly to volume of sound produced, which we know isn’t accurate. That’s not the case for listening at home. An amplifier not sweating bullets is a happy amplifier and is loafing along and thus your ears reap the benefits in effortless sound reproduction.
@bblondahl
Жыл бұрын
Guitar amps are typically tube amps. Tube amp of 22 watts with gobs of headroom are equal to 100+ watts or more than solid state. So speakers need to be higher wattage capacity.
@bblondahl
Жыл бұрын
Also. Recordings are always compressed reducing the peak amplitudes. Guitar amps are not compressed unless you choose to compress them and have huge peak amplitudes compared to recordings.
@SpyderTracks
Жыл бұрын
An area that really confuses me is tube amps, particularly SET tube amps where they are such low wattage compared to solid state that a direct comparison just cannot be made. A 40w tube amp compares to around 100w solid state. I have some 88db sensitive bookshelves being happily poweerd by a 40wpc tube amp using EL34s never going even near the 50% volume (around 85db)
@AllboroLCD
Жыл бұрын
Pro audio transducers do have overbuilt voice coils, designed to withstand the heat produced by strong transients played by the instrument. Im gonna go ahead and also assume this is the same reason folks still lust for vintage pro Altec & JBL speakers for their modern day rigs.
@reestyfarts
Жыл бұрын
My speakers are manufacturer rated at 600 watts. My monoblock amps max out at 500 watts. Works fine.
@BobGeogeo
Жыл бұрын
Honestly I didn't get the gist of the 2 ratings. What I've been getting from Paul's videos (and others) is that headroom matters. Orchestral music, even quieter pieces like Debussey's La Mer, can be good listens at 60-70 dB for most parts in the listening spot then shoot to 90 dB at peaks that aren't brief.
@keithmoriyama5421
Жыл бұрын
Paul's knowledge falls into the ground whenever the subject approaches Pro Audio. The reason why guitar amps favour a power imbalance is because over driving the amp is a HUGE part of the sound. That's why 50 watt Marshalls are often favoured over 100 watt heads. The reason why studios use amplification double that of the speaker is for DYNAMIC REALISM-- an essential trait where studio monitors blow the doors off audiophile systems.
@Reflectiveness
Жыл бұрын
Isn't Paul's use of the word "headroom" describing the same end result as "dynamic realism?" Also: Please clarify what you refer when saying "studio monitor." Are you saying studio equipment in general, or studio monitor speakers? Thanks so much.
@vegaslimoguy2376
Жыл бұрын
YES! Finally someone who knows something about pro audio. I run nothing but studio monitors in my setup, i always run power amplifiers with atleast double the output wattage of the speaker's rated continuous recommended input. Sound quality is mesmerizing with tons of headroom and unbelievable dynamic range.
@Roosville1
Жыл бұрын
I'll add, that there is a huge difference in guitar valve amplifiers. I had a Marshall 2X12 100W combo. The spec is 100W at 1% THD, but it goes a long way past that. It used to hit 100W with the volume at 4. From 4 to 10 it simply overdrove the output stage as well, in the end generating 210W of power. With a pair of 12" 103dB/Watt speakers it literally shook ornaments off a shelf in the house. The volume was something else. :- )
@keithmoriyama5421
Жыл бұрын
@@Reflectiveness Statement audiophile systems, as Paul says should have ample headroom even though you may never use it. Dynamic Realism is an entirely different thing. Strange how the most legendary pro manufacturing speaker company in the world is not considered "audiophile" -- JBL. Paul McGowan himself explains how it is the speaker, not the input signal that is actually 'pulling' or (demanding) the power out of the amp. No driver does this better than JBL. Greg Timbers head engineer for over 40 years says the number one design goal of JBL is dynamic realism. Studio Monitor translation: When the drummer hits the kick drum, all of the velocity of the beater hitting the head combined with the sheer volume of air movement resonating within the shell, causes the drivers to explode out of the speakers-- if your running studio monitors you better have double the rated power.
@Bassotronics
Жыл бұрын
All my car audio speakers are PA or designed for concerts. So when I play a live rock album, it sounds just like a rock concert.
@Oldcrow77
Жыл бұрын
Especially if your guitar amp goes to 11
@papoosee
10 ай бұрын
So, would a speaker rated at 60watts be safe to use an amp that is 450watts?
@user-od9iz9cv1w
Жыл бұрын
I wonder if big headroom solid state amps have the finesse of some lower watt cousins. Does a 600W amp with tons of transistors really reproduce the low level information as well as a modestly powered tube amp or a little First Watt class A? Perhaps PS audio has the right idea with their hybrid power amps.
@Oystein87
Жыл бұрын
I mainly just ignore watts on speakers... And there is really no such thing as a "too large amp"
@gcahill51
Жыл бұрын
Explain headroom
@stephenwong9723
Жыл бұрын
No, the reasons why Amp Power should be larger than Speaker Power are, 1) if you overload an amp, or drive it close to it's limit, the amp will be able to output a wattage higher than the specified value, but at a significant higher distortion rate (ie. clipping), the high frequency will easily burn a tweeter in the Speaker. 2) The Speaker Power number usually means over that power for a prolonged time, the voice coil will be overheated and be burnt, but momentarily over power (ie. listening to music content) won't be an issue. Overall, better to have a higher power amp to keep distortion low.
@darrellhodges3668
Жыл бұрын
The speakers are large. I thought the black ones were big.
@endrizo
Жыл бұрын
87 vs 90 db... 3 db less efficient means they need double the power. 3db is a HUGE diffeence. the double. every 3db doubles. same as noisefloor. 3db more s/n ratio means it is half noisy ..6db means 4 times.
@Roosville1
Жыл бұрын
But not near "preceived doubing of volume", 3dB is hardly noticable.
@endrizo
Жыл бұрын
@@Roosville1 google "3db difference" The 3dB 'trading effect' means for every 3 dB the sound level increases the impact on hearing health which is doubled. For example, 63 dB(A) is twice as noisy as 60 dB(A). The relevance of this is apparent when considering exposure to hazardous level of noise.
@kc9scott
Жыл бұрын
3 dB is doubling the power, and it is a rather small difference as far as how loud something sounds.
@jpatrickmoore5158
Жыл бұрын
To double the perceived volume, it's 10 dB more input, which is 10x more power. The amplifier wars of the 1970's are really rather ironic, when you consider that the volume increase between a 50 watt amplifier and a 60 watt amplifier is barely perceived by the human ear.
@simonchampa9961
Жыл бұрын
90 dB 1W/1m is not efficient. The question is wrong. You start by looking what sound levels you need in your room. Then depending on the efficiency of your speaker you can work back on what amplifier power you need. A properly designed horn speaker with better than 100 dB 1W/1m will make your ears (pleasantly) ring with a 10 Watt amplifier. Most speakers are stupidly inefficient and this creates a ton of additional Engineering problems in compensating for it.
@D1N02
Жыл бұрын
I'm from the Netherlands but at a loss. What town was that?
@fkaptijn7111
Жыл бұрын
Ik had ook totaal geen idee welke plaats hij bedoelde.
@D1N02
Жыл бұрын
@@fkaptijn7111 Kobbegem came closest, but that is in Belgium
@williamgombert7710
Жыл бұрын
Ik ben van Kobbegem in Vlaanderen, weet ook niet waarom hij "Nederland" zegt ... ;)
@djzoloft
Жыл бұрын
@@williamgombert7710 Ah....daar is het antwoord. Kobbegem. Nog steeds een goede vraag!
@fkaptijn7111
Жыл бұрын
@@williamgombert7710misschien had hij het op een kaart nagekeken van voor 1850?
@PebblesChan
Жыл бұрын
Interestingly for professional voice recording Trevor Horn uses a Chord 400W headphone amplifer for acceptable headroom. kzitem.info/news/bejne/ppqM33yEj4eqkqg
@Error2username
Жыл бұрын
Pa is nothing with out overpowered amps, when Hifi quit at 95db sensitivity, pa goes easy 130db.
@HansDelbruck53
Жыл бұрын
My amplifier goes to 11, but my speakers go to 12.
@LuxAudio389
Жыл бұрын
👍
@digggerrjones7345
Жыл бұрын
He just doesn't get it!
@NoEgg4u
Жыл бұрын
Yes, headroom is important. Lots of power is important. But our host left out a key factor: It is very hard to control lots of power. You can purchase a very power amplifier at a low cost. It will play loudly. It will also not be a fast amp. It will not sound too good. It will sound lazy, compared to a fast, high-end amp. A high-end amp, that can control huge power with finesse, takes a feat of engineering, and a price tag to go with it. A high-end amp, that can control huge power with finesse, is akin to having the power of a freight train, and be able to go from 0 to 100 in a split second, and come to a complete stop in a split second. Such amps get very expensive. There are low powered amps that sound fantastic, and will not break the bank. They are more affordable, because they do not have to control what I described above -- at least not to the same degree. A low powered amp will have an easier job managing its power, nimbly. And as long as you do not blast the volume, you can get amazing sound quality at an affordable price. But for a low or moderately powerful amp, you would need less demanding speakers.
@davidfromamerica1871
Жыл бұрын
Comparing a Guitar amp speaker to home audio stereo speaker’s is like comparing a Yugo to a Tesla. There is a reason I am not subscribed to this channel. 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀
@hoobsgroove
Жыл бұрын
What's a loaded nonsense you in your headroom! Head's in the clouds lol 50 watts cl, is plenty for the majority of speakers at 88 DB SPL
@bergennorway
Жыл бұрын
Try to play a classical piece of music, or just «In the hall of the mountain king», to check if it feels realistic by using 50 Watt! Maybe in a nearfield setup, but in a living room, you need a lot of power for dynamic. That is why he say power is essential. I use Anthem 525 G2, in my setup speakers are the limit, because I have no subwoofer. Amp can give 400Watt in 4 Ohm, as my speakers are, but it sound dynamic, even on low volume.
@scottyo64
Жыл бұрын
I was going to answer, but people already think I am a whack job. Just note until you have had the "head room" you won't understand.
@hoobsgroove
Жыл бұрын
@@scottyo64 you still got plenty of headroom at 50 watts x2 I don't know what size rooms these people have got We're not talking about filling a hall
@JonAnderhub
Жыл бұрын
Ahhh GEEZE!!! There's an old saying that goes it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. While part of "Pro Audio" includes the art of reinforcing the sound of a distorted guitar amp, a guitar amp IS NOT "Pro Audio". "Pro Audio" uses that same theory of using larger amplifiers for the purpose of supplying an abundance of headroom in the system as well. Guitar amplifiers are actually designed the same way (to provide headroom) but are limited at the output stage so that turning knobs to 10 doesn't actually reach the full output of the amplifier. The "distortion" created in modern guitar amps is created within the circuitry of the amplifier or through the use of distortion from an outside source such as a guitar pedal. Originally the distortion was caused by putting more power into the input of the amplifier than the amplifier was designed to handle. This has nothing to do with the output stage or output power of the amplifier. So once again, "Pro Audio" is not using a guitar amplifier to create distortion.
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