Why does more power = beter sound? (1 Viewer)

[Jim_Carlson]

Can someone please enlighten me here?

Everytime someone posts about installing a new amp they ramble on and on about how much clearer, louder, crisper, etc. the sound is. Why does simply adding more power per channal make the sound better? And if it's that easy...why don't the companies that make the recievers just build in amps that put out 200W per channal or something?

WHY?

 

[BobRoulier]

more current!

 

[Jason Wilcox]

the more power an amp has....the more overhead it has. A 100 watt amp pushing 80 watts will have more distortion than a 300 watt amp pushing 80 watts.

 

[John Royster]

receivers have a hard time competing with the power reserves of a separate amp. power supply being the biggest factor that I know of.

strong peaks in music demand quick and strong power. If the caps get drained with just normal levels then the peaks have nothing to draw upon, leaving you feeling...well...thin sounding.

Why don't companies release 200Wx7 receivers? cause the transformer, transistors, heat sinks and caps alone would take up 3/4 of the real estate. Can't fit many inputs and dacs and switching gear and LED panel and, and, and...everything else. Then at that price you're talking separates. The denon 5803 is a prime example - receiver on steroids. expensive though.

 

[rodneyH]

Jason, isn't it called "headroom"?

 

[Craig_Kg]

see the high current receiver thread for similar discussion.

 

[Chris PC]

If the amp is designed to put out lots of clean power, you don't have to be using lots of power to hear the difference. The improved build quality that allows higher power is also evident at lower volume, lower power.

 

[Aslam Imran]

Better sound is a subjective term. Ask anyone who has listened to a 5W SET amp and he will tell you what it means. And by the way those 5W SET amps go for a few thousand $$ and are used to drive very efficient speakers. So lets reformulate your equation:

More power = Better dynamic impact