14-Jul-2019, 09:55
@Jean-Marie
I don't think the extra power you have with a single 220 has any real benefits apart from the fact that if you really want to turn things up to 0 dB on the volume setting you'll get 2 dB louder peaks than you got with the 120 :-) Of course, since your current volume setting is -8 dB, those extra 2 dB mean that your peaks will be 10 dB louder than you're getting at a -8 dB volume setting and a 10 dB increase in volume, not only on the peaks but on all of the music regardless of level, means everything would actually sound a bit over twice as loud to you. Do you want to listen to music that's twice as loud as what you're currently listening to? Obviously not or you would be listening at higher levels right now.
If you were using SAM before with the 120 and had power in reserve and you're using it now with the 220 and have 2 dB more power in reserve, then it's a bit hard to say that upgrading from the 120 to the 220 has made an "appreciable difference" for you with SAM. You're not doing anything more with SAM now than you were before. If there is an "appreciable difference" then it's going to have to be in areas other than peak volume or SAM functionality for you because you're still listening at the same level and using SAM in the same way. Note that I'm not saying that there are no benefits from using a bigger amp. All I'm saying is that you're not getting any benefits in relation to peak volume or SAM functionality because you had enough power for both before given your needs and you're not using any more power now, the extra "headroom" you gained going from the 120 to the 220 has just been added to the headroom you had in reserve with the 120.
In terms of peak volume levels alone, ignoring whatever extra power SAM requires, I can easily see some people needing a 220 rather than a 140. Someone with a taste for louder music than you or I have, less sensitive speakers than you or I have, and a bigger room with a longer listening distance could easily need more power than a 220 provides and be looking at a 440. A 440 would give you 3 dB more power than you currently have, giving you 11 dB of headroom. You could run through that 11 dB easily and end up needing a 1000. A desire for 3 dB higher peaks, 5 dB less sensitive speakers than yours (there's more than a few 83 dB sensitive speaker options available) and larger room and a 5 metre listening distance would eat up all of your 8 dB peak volume reserve and the extra 3 dB that a second 220 would provide and have you running the 440 at a 0 dB volume setting to deliver the peak levels you wanted.. Go for an 82dB sensitive speaker rather than an 83 dB sensitive one and keep the same peak listening level and listening distance and you'd be looking at a 1000 because a 440 would deliver 1 dB less than what you needed.Every extra dB you need to meet your requirements chews up an increasing number of watts. Going from a 220 to a 440 only gets you an extra 3 dB to deal with higher peaks. lower sensitivity, or greater listening distances and going from a 440 to a 1000 probably only buys you another 4 dB. Infinite power may not be necessary but every time your power requirements increase they increase by bigger and bigger amounts. No one needs infinite power but with the right speaker choice (should that be the wrong speaker choice?), a taste for louder music, and a big enough room it's possible to create a need for more than a kilowatt of amplifier power and outgrow the 1000.
The fact that I'm happy with a 140 and you're happy with a 220 doesn't mean that there aren't people with a legitimate need for a 440 or 1000 or greater to meet their needs. 1000 W or more may not be infinite power but it's still something that easy for someone in our positions to shake our heads at in disbelief until we start looking at just how many more watts every extra dB we need over what we currently need is going to cost us in watts.
I don't think the extra power you have with a single 220 has any real benefits apart from the fact that if you really want to turn things up to 0 dB on the volume setting you'll get 2 dB louder peaks than you got with the 120 :-) Of course, since your current volume setting is -8 dB, those extra 2 dB mean that your peaks will be 10 dB louder than you're getting at a -8 dB volume setting and a 10 dB increase in volume, not only on the peaks but on all of the music regardless of level, means everything would actually sound a bit over twice as loud to you. Do you want to listen to music that's twice as loud as what you're currently listening to? Obviously not or you would be listening at higher levels right now.
If you were using SAM before with the 120 and had power in reserve and you're using it now with the 220 and have 2 dB more power in reserve, then it's a bit hard to say that upgrading from the 120 to the 220 has made an "appreciable difference" for you with SAM. You're not doing anything more with SAM now than you were before. If there is an "appreciable difference" then it's going to have to be in areas other than peak volume or SAM functionality for you because you're still listening at the same level and using SAM in the same way. Note that I'm not saying that there are no benefits from using a bigger amp. All I'm saying is that you're not getting any benefits in relation to peak volume or SAM functionality because you had enough power for both before given your needs and you're not using any more power now, the extra "headroom" you gained going from the 120 to the 220 has just been added to the headroom you had in reserve with the 120.
In terms of peak volume levels alone, ignoring whatever extra power SAM requires, I can easily see some people needing a 220 rather than a 140. Someone with a taste for louder music than you or I have, less sensitive speakers than you or I have, and a bigger room with a longer listening distance could easily need more power than a 220 provides and be looking at a 440. A 440 would give you 3 dB more power than you currently have, giving you 11 dB of headroom. You could run through that 11 dB easily and end up needing a 1000. A desire for 3 dB higher peaks, 5 dB less sensitive speakers than yours (there's more than a few 83 dB sensitive speaker options available) and larger room and a 5 metre listening distance would eat up all of your 8 dB peak volume reserve and the extra 3 dB that a second 220 would provide and have you running the 440 at a 0 dB volume setting to deliver the peak levels you wanted.. Go for an 82dB sensitive speaker rather than an 83 dB sensitive one and keep the same peak listening level and listening distance and you'd be looking at a 1000 because a 440 would deliver 1 dB less than what you needed.Every extra dB you need to meet your requirements chews up an increasing number of watts. Going from a 220 to a 440 only gets you an extra 3 dB to deal with higher peaks. lower sensitivity, or greater listening distances and going from a 440 to a 1000 probably only buys you another 4 dB. Infinite power may not be necessary but every time your power requirements increase they increase by bigger and bigger amounts. No one needs infinite power but with the right speaker choice (should that be the wrong speaker choice?), a taste for louder music, and a big enough room it's possible to create a need for more than a kilowatt of amplifier power and outgrow the 1000.
The fact that I'm happy with a 140 and you're happy with a 220 doesn't mean that there aren't people with a legitimate need for a 440 or 1000 or greater to meet their needs. 1000 W or more may not be infinite power but it's still something that easy for someone in our positions to shake our heads at in disbelief until we start looking at just how many more watts every extra dB we need over what we currently need is going to cost us in watts.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
