This is probably a stupid question but I need to ask. I have an older Parasound 80x2 watt amp. I have four speakers hooked up to it. How much power is each speaker getting?
You would think 20. Right? Well I don't know. I am looking to upgrade my amp and wonder how much power I can get without hurting my speakers (I have two Paradigm Mini Monitors and two Paradigm Titans. I think they are rated at 80-90 watts per speaker).
Any help explaining how this works would be great.
There are numerous factors which control the power going to each speaker. One is, are you playing 4 channel stereo or surround? Two--the efficiency in db's and whether the speaker is 4 or 8 ohms and how much the ohms vary through the playback frequency. 8 ohm speakers can vary from 5 to 20 or more ohms at different frequencies.
So with all these factors and quite a few more use a good quality amp/receiver with at least 50-100 watts per channel with these speakers and don't run more than one speaker per channel, for optimal performance.
It is far morev dangerous to play your speakers with an under-powered amp that "clips" when you raise the volume or "clips" and distorts during loud musical transients. This may blow the amp fuse or hurt the amp, but it is much more likely to cause speaker damage.
You must realize that in practical terms it is the speaker that draws power from the amp/receiver to play the loudness you set. Hence, it is far safer to have more power----and good speakers and your ears will appreciate having as much good, clean, power that they can use. If you ever play too loud and it starts to distort, back off on the volume.
Just get a sensible amount of power. I like buying from the middle to the top end of what the speaker manufacturer recommends.