Too much power for proposed setup?

[RDubya]

Noob question:

I am looking to hookup my XPA-2 and a pair of Dynaudio Contour S 1.4's. Here are the speakers specs:

Sensitivity: 85 dB (2,83 V/1 m)
IEC Power Handling: 160 W
Impedance: 4 Ohms

Now I've read conflicting opinions that its not too much power that kills speakers its clipping/underpowered amps that kill speakers/generate heat past design limits of the speaker/voice coils etc.

If I rock my xpa-2 at moderate levels only, will these speakers be ok? Not sure I get how amp gain levels affect this. Also, is a preamp with variable outs (adjustable gain) a benefit here?

[Porscheguy]

Can't have too much power, only too little.. Most amps are fixed output. All preamps have variable output (volume control).

Unless you're outright stoopid and deck the volume for a sustained period of time, you will have no issues.. Ever :-)

Welcome.

[RDubya]

thanks porscheguy
preamp has 2 outputs, 1 fixed & 1 with gain adjustment, not including the volume control

I've read these speakers are relatively bulletproof but I dont have the budget to go testing that assertion. That said, I do like to listen at moderate levels, an occasional trip to loud if its happy hour. Otherwise no, never have plans to subject them to sustained peak levels. I love my xpa-2!

[jmasterj]

I'll just say be careful. When I was in my home I had a surround sound system consisting of Polk Audio Rt 1000p's front L & R they were rated at 250 watts they were connected to 2 Carver TFM 35 amp rated at 250 8ohms, 380 4ohms, 560 2ohms, 700watts bridged. I had them in the bridged mode. I was outside grilling on the deck. Friends were watching the movie Master & Commander and someone wanted to really hear the canon blast and turned it up without my permission. They fried the midrange drivers. I could smell the smoke from them when I came in the house. I had to order some new drivers and put them in. Don't let any one mess with your equipment. Thats my advice. I learned my lesson one of the Carvers went up into the closet. From then on I only used one amp at 250watts.

[Porscheguy]

My Xpa-1's were 500 wpc and I had no issues and my XPR-1's are 1000 wpc a channel and no issues.

Just use common sense. You will know when its too loud............

You will get a headache :-)

[jmasterj]

His speakers are rated to handle 160 watts max into 4ohms, and the XPA-2 will pump 500 watts max into 4 ohms. I believe he needs to be careful.

[weird23]

Feb 12, 2013 16:25:52 GMT -5 RDubya said:

Noob question:

I am looking to hookup my XPA-2 and a pair of Dynaudio Contour S 1.4's. Here are the speakers specs:

Sensitivity: 85 dB (2,83 V/1 m)
IEC Power Handling: 160 W
Impedance: 4 Ohms

Now I've read conflicting opinions that its not too much power that kills speakers its clipping/underpowered amps that kill speakers/generate heat past design limits of the speaker/voice coils etc.

If I rock my xpa-2 at moderate levels only, will these speakers be ok? Not sure I get how amp gain levels affect this. Also, is a preamp with variable outs (adjustable gain) a benefit here?

You'll have no problems. For a few months while waiting for my SCX to be built and delivered I used the Focus 110's and 200c as my LCR with the XPA-1's, they took everything I could throw at them. No issues what so ever, your S1.4's will have better power handling as well. Dyn's love high current and will just soak it up and sound great doing it.

[creimes]

Been talked about many times and yes too much power can blow up speakers but it's very unlikely your ears and brain won't be telling you to turn it down first lol, too little amplifier power will destroy them way before too much amplifier power.

Chad

[ocezam]

Feb 12, 2013 16:53:32 GMT -5 RDubya said:

thanks porscheguy
preamp has 2 outputs, 1 fixed & 1 with gain adjustment, not including the volume control

The "fixed" output is for recording. Use the variable out to your XPA-2

[ocezam]

Feb 12, 2013 20:06:19 GMT -5 creimes said:

Been talked about many times and yes too much power can blow up speakers but it's very unlikely your ears and brain won't be telling you to turn it down first lol, too little amplifier power will destroy them way before too much amplifier power.
Chad

Too much power is seldom a problem. Or at least, it's the problem I'd rather have of the two. Your speakers will let you know when they are reaching their peak. As long as you're not clipping the amp, you will generally hear the speakers in distress before they suffer damage. That's been my experience for 35 years anyway, and I've always had overpowered amps.

As for a canon blast frying drivers at high volume...

You're talking about an incredibly high transient peak. Not likely to occur that often. And, in this case, it could have been either too much power to the speakers, or just as easily, an extremely clipped signal sent from an overworked amp. If the amp was already cranking, it's likely to choke on the peak also.

[Cheeku]

I don't understand the question...

Too much power?

Is that like saying too much money or too much sex?

Does not compute...

[Gary Cook]

Feb 12, 2013 19:46:56 GMT -5 jmasterj said:

His speakers are rated to handle 160 watts max into 4ohms, and the XPA-2 will pump 500 watts max into 4 ohms. I believe he needs to be careful.

The S1.4's are rated at "160 watts IEC Power Handling" which to me has always meant "160 watts Continuous Power Rating". Some (not all) speaker manufacturers give both a Continuous Power Rating and a Maximum Power recommendation. Commonly the Max is x 2 the Continuous.

Also the S1.4's are rated at a somewhat lower than common 85 db sensitivty. So my guess, and it's only a guess as I have never had S1.4's, is that they will handle the XPA-2 power very well and in fact benefit from its extra punch especially at lower volumes.


Cheers
Gary

[audiohead]

More power is always better the last thing anyone would want too do is "clip"where your amp or amps run out of power so more power is much better for the dynamic swing of movies and music.

[audiofile]

With the additional power, "loud" will come sooner. Unless you get really stupid and seriously crank it to the max, you'll be fine. To get to stupid your ears will probably already be bleeding...

[rob80b]

Hi RDubya

I have to agree, your 1.4’s well do fine with the XPA-2 , I’ve run both my Dynaudio Special 25’s and Dynaudio Contour 1.3MKIIs (same specs as your S1.4s) off of my Bryston 4BSST which has the same output as the XPA-2 at fairly hefty volumes, the Dyns like power behind them.

One other point, a few months ago I did a comparison with my Bryston 4BSST (300 watts 8 Ohms), Bryston 3BST (135 watts 8 Ohms) and a Bryston 2BLP ( 60 watts 8 Ohms) running the Special 25s, what’s interesting is that all 3 amps reached the same clean (high) volume levels with no problem in a 10’ x 15’ room, but the higher watts presented everything more effortlessly with better dynamics (less distortion?).
Mind you the 4BSST has the newer output devices while the output devises of the 3BST and 2BLP are the same.

Now having said that I recently acquired a UPA-2 (125W 8 Ohms/ 185 watts 4 Ohms) for surround duty but in the interim tried it up front for comparisons and both Dyns sounded excellent, very smooth and dynamic with plenty of reserve at high levels.
I liked it so much so that I ordered a XPA-200 (150 watts 8 Ohms/ 240 watts 4 ohms) with double the capacitance of the UPA-2, even higher than the 4BSST if that makes a difference, it’s scheduled tomorrow for delivery from Emotiva so there will be a lot of critical listening going on, who knows it might replace the 4BSST.

Robert