Here's a newbie question...

Why is the minimum amp power rating on the small M2's, 15 amps, while the minimum amp power rating on the M80's is only 10 amps?

my naive logic would think it should be the other way around. In other words, should it not take less power to move a smaller speaker?

Kaz

Good question. The answer is actually pretty simple -- it may take more power to move the cones a certain distance on a big speaker, but since the cones are larger and move more air it all balances out. In fact big speakers tend to move *more* air (hence more sound) than small speakers for the same amount of power.

I'm pretty sure the M80s are more efficient than M2s -- ahh, here we go :

M80 - SPL Anechoic 1 watt of power listening at 1 meter - 91dB

M2 - SPL Anechoic 1 watt of power listening at 1 meter - 87dB

This is the "SPL" (Sound Pressure Level) info from the product pages.

One minor point -- amplifier power is usually measured in watts (volts x amps) not amps.

As John points out, it is recommended min. power in watts, not amps. Anyway, I would not worry to much about this spec, but the 80's are more efficient, hence the different reading.