I need Advice TS3 and SE amplifier

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AleR

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I need Advice TS3 and SE amplifier
« on: 21 Aug 2003, 06:54 pm »
I own a 5 watts EL34 SE Amplifier and my listening room is very small 2m * 4m (like 7 * 14 feet) do you think the TS3 is enough for such a small listening room ?

Thanks,
Alejandro Rojas

JLM

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I need Advice TS3 and SE amplifier
« Reply #1 on: 21 Aug 2003, 10:09 pm »
Yes, depending...

How loud do you listen?  Use a sound pressure meter to know for sure.  If you can throw in test tone CD's, like Stereophile CD's #1 & 2, you'll also know how much of the entire frequency range you listen to.

You know, don't you, that these won't do the bottom octave?  (In a room that small all you'd get is boom/boom from speakers that did anyway.)

Let's do the numbers.  The TS3's are 93 dB/w/m efficient.  Having two for stereo adds 3 dB.  In a small room like that you won't lose anything by listening farther than 1 meter away.  Your 5 wpc amp will add another 7 dB.  Bottom line you'll be able to reproduce around 103 dB peaks.  That's roughly symphonic concert peaks, but less than a rock concert.  

Note that constant levels over 85 dB cause permanent hearing loss.  Most guys I know don't listen any louder than that.  And 85 dB on the TS3's in your room would only require about 0.1 watts, giving you 18 dB of peak sound pressure levels available.  Most recommend 20 - 30 dB, but due to your small room, you'd be better off than most folks who run TS3's with SET's.  

I heard the Super 3's at the recent Midwest Audio Fest in a big (5,000 cu. ft. - 140 cubic meter) room and with a 10 wpc amp and even a 30 wpc amp they were straining to fill the room.  But that's not what they were designed for.  The TS1's did better, as I'm sure the TS3's would with a sub.

jeff