[macrojack]

Once upon a time I was told by a technician that speakers are usually damaged by too little power - rather than too much.
As someone mentioned above, distortion is the normal culprit, and that happens when an amp is overdriven.... not because an amp of excessive power was applied within its normal capacity.

[werd]

There's one fundamental flaw with any "simple" comparison of a lower powered amp to a higher powered one. The designs of each, even from the same manufacturer, are going to be necessarily different and any perceived difference could be caused by those differences and not simply a result of increased power.

Keeping that in mind, I recently upgraded from a Mccormack DNA .5 Rev A (100WPC-8 ohm, 200WPC-4 ohm) to a McCormack DNA 500 (500WPC - 8 ohm and much more into 4 ohms). Both should be able to drive my speakers just fine, but the 500 absolutely has better and deeper bass, is smoother sounding overall and produces a wider and deeper soundstage. The .5 can be a little hard when loud, while the 500 has just limitless headroom and never strains.

But the topologies, although fundamentally similar are definitely different in many areas. This could, and most likely explains most of what I'm hearing. So how could one limit the discussion to one purely about the power output and come to any kind of real conclusion?

Yes, I am coming from a very simplified approach. But nonetheless (from the SS manufacturers i look at) the more you spend always translates into bigger power. I know there are exceptions like Hovland that seem to put all their eggs in one low powerd SS package. But this is not the norm. I know there is a lot more going on than power output, but one thing is constant amongst them is the big transformer driving their more expensive electronics.

[BobM]

So the only real way to tell would be to build a power supply big enough to support a 500W amp, then try it with a simple pair of transistors for low power and a more extensive set of (4-6 pair) of transistors for higher output power. All else being equal, what would the perceived differences be?

[werd]

So the only real way to tell would be to build a power supply big enough to support a 500W amp, then try it with a simple pair of transistors for low power and a more extensive set of (4-6 pair) of transistors for higher output power. All else being equal, what would the perceived differences be?

Don't know .... but it sounds like your entering into the realm of class A tube output....

[JohnR]

Although it is a complex subject with many variables, and some of the responses, including mine, were more general, it would seem that music listeners tend to view amplifiers and speakers as reproducing a broad spectrum of frequencies simultaneously, whereas more technical types are sometimes all too often focused on the reproduction of single frequency sine waves.

Hi - frequency is a variable, speaking about it is necessary to understanding the behavior of any piece of equipment.

Here's a question for you: what is the frequency content of a sharp transient?

[*Scotty*]

John,do I see a FFT lurking somewhere in the answer?
Scotty

[Spungey]

So the only real way to tell would be to build a power supply big enough to support a 500W amp, then try it with a simple pair of transistors for low power and a more extensive set of (4-6 pair) of transistors for higher output power. All else being equal, what would the perceived differences be?

Which leads on to my question... I thought watts were only half the story. Isn't peak current output a significant consideration when ascertaining the ability of an amp to deal with a stiff load, which comes back to power supply?

[JohnR]

John,do I see a FFT lurking somewhere in the answer?
Scotty

Yes

Well, strictly speaking, not necessarily, but yes, what is the transform of a "sharp transient" into the frequency domain?