Like I said, this is not my typical listening level due to my room size (20x11ft). I was just curious. But lets assume I would take my setup to a party with a bigger space, let's say 200x200ft, in that case I would need this kind of level to fill up the room, so I guess in that case I would need separate amps.
JohnK, when you talk about 85dB or 105dB, what is the reference used? How does that translate related to whatever is displayed on the receiver? Typically, what is the volume in dB when the receiver is displays 0dB? I apologize if that seems very basic but I am very new to this and am trying to understand. Thanks.
Hello Bruno and welcome. I didn't see an answer to your first question her so I'll chime in.
M80s are POWERFUL and robust speakers for the home audio market. They can handle clean power output from just about any amp out there designed for normal home usage. That being said, the scenario you describe above, a 200x200 foot room (thus probably also a high ceiling too)is not a 'home environment.' At least not a reasonable definition for the term home audio.
As good as the M80s are, if you are looking for gear for such large spaces, perhaps to DJ weddings, party's etc., then you need Professional audio speakers and professional audio gear designed for large areas. Picture a wedding you have been at with a professional DJ (not a basement living teen making a buck, no offense to basement dwellers.
) You will see large heavy speakers, professional amps of large sizes and balanced cables hooking it all together.
I'll also attempt to simplyify the in depth discussion above since I too have the advantage of being relatively new to this field.
A xxx Watt amp will cause distortion in any speaker if it is driven to try and produce loudness levels that it wasn't designed to do. This is a limitation of the amp, not necessarily the speaker as the amp begins to clip when it's pushed too far and this clipping from the amp can actually damage your speakers.
Your speakers are rated for 400 watts and tested for actually well beyond that so you can't kill them by hooking up a more powerful 'home' amp and letting it blast (although it will kill your ears.) However, you can kill the speakers by trying to go louder than your amp is capable of playing.
Also, for the last question. zero db on one amp is not the same sound level as on another amp. Also, when you set your amp at zero, the measurable sound level will vary depending on how close you are to the speakers and a lot of other factors. Also, it can vary depending on the CD or DVD you are playing. Recordings tend to vary greatly as to how much volume they produce so you often have to adjust when you change material.
Thus the question of what sound level is produced at zero is not really answerable. I suggest you do what I did. Purchase a db meter for 30 dollars or so, sit in your listening position and turn the amp volume to zero.
Personally, in my small room, my particular amp and speakers, I can not tolerate the loudness at a zero level. I think I might even be able to detect a little clipping there at that level with my 130 Watt/channel amp. That, or my ears are just rebelling against the insane loudness. The loudest I ever push my particular system is about -15 and even then, not for long. But again, these numbers mean nothing to you and your setup. It will be very different.
It's not the accurate detail of the above posters but hopefully it helps to simplify things a bit.
While not entirely accurate because every room and scenario is different, this
wattage calculator is fun to play with to display how little power you need to listen at 'safe' listening levels and how the math works against us to require ridiculous amounts of power to play at extremely loud levels or when distance comes into play.
