Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Stupid question about Amp power

My Harman Kardon AVR-120 does 45 watts per channel which may sound weak, but it goes LOUD. I NEVER turn it up even close to "0" DB.

So imagine I upgraded to one that does NINETY (90) watts...what MORE benefit am I really getting, since once again I won't ever really turn it up past a certain point?

The only benefit (and I'm sure others will chime in) is that your amp will have more headroom. In other words, it will better be able to handle spikes in power, which in turn will prevent clipping.

Hi,

Kcarlile is correct. With twice as many clean watts in reserve, it would only show up if you played a recording with an extreme dynamic range such that your existing receiver might approach clipping.

With 90 watts available, the receiver would deliver only 3 dB greater output on peaks--that's subjectively termed "somewhat louder" by listeners. Doubling the power does not make the receiver capable of playing "twice as loud." To do that, you'd need an increase of 10 dB, which would require ten times as much power (assuming you were driving your H/K to its output limits).

This all becomes a bit academic, unless you are trying to fill a really big room with real-life SPL levels. Then power requirements can escalate hugely.

Regards,