Which has more "umph"?

[mafiaahem]

A 6-ohm/150W or a 8-ohm/180W?

I liked both PSB Image T65 and Paradigm Monitor 11 and considering one of them for my mains. Since they both sound nice to me (I have normal ears, not audioholic ones), I am working on the math now to find out which one has more "umph" (as audioholics put it).

In amplifiers, typically the rated wattage is calculated 1.5x and 2x the 8-ohm wattage for 6-ohms and 4-ohms respectively. Conversely, a 8-ohm wattage would be 2/3rds of 6-ohm. A typical rating for an amplifier would be: 200W/8ohm, 300W/6ohm, 400W/4ohm.

Can I apply this logic to speakers and conclude rightly that the PSB Image T65 would in effect be at 100W at 8-ohms (2/3rds of 6-ohm wattage), and thus has less "umph" than Paradigm?

Thanx for answering my weird question and reasoning!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

A 6-ohm/150W or a 8-ohm/180W?

I asked a DefTech Rep once about this. He said generally a lower ohms (4, 6 ohms) speaker will give more volume or "umph", as long as the amp can handle it and as long as the efficiency is the same with both speakers.

But I think according to TAC, using the same exact amp, the speaker with the higher nominal (average) impedance (8 ohms) rating, again with equal efficiency, will give more volume.

But as long as you are using the same exact amp, I don't think it makes any significant differences.

 

[j_garcia]

You haven't taken into account the sensitivity (not efficiency) of the speakers, which will make as big or bigger of a difference in the total output vs amplifier power. Lower impedance draws more current from the receiver to achieve the same SPL, so if two speakers have the same sensitivity, there will be no difference in the output SPL only more current drawn.

 

[rnatalli]

A 6-ohm/150W or a 8-ohm/180W?

Assuming the amp in question can push 180W into 8-ohms and it's capable of 6-ohms, then it stands to reason that it'll be able to push more than 180W into 6-ohms dependent on the amp's build and efficiency. A great amp will generally double it's power into 4-ohms and by that math, about 50% into 6-ohms if I remember how it works, but few amps actually double their power into 4-ohms.

As j_garcia said, it really depends on the speakers in question. Here's one way to look at it. I have Mordaunts which are 4-ohm, very inefficient, and thus tough to drive so if I hook up some say Klipsch to the same amp, I would get much more volume out of the Klipsch than the Mordaunts at the same volume level. The amp is being taxed more to push inefficient speakers to the same ear-bleeding levels.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

You haven't taken into account the sensitivity (not efficiency) of the speakers...

Oh, yeah, that's what I meant. My brain is really fried

 

[rnatalli]

Bottom line is to go with the speakers that sound best to you. Don't get too tied up in all the numbers as there are tons of variables to consider and ultimately all that matters is how things sound. If you're using 4-ohm speakers, just be sure the amp can handle it and you'll peel paint off the walls just the same. This is why you should always look at speakers first and when you find what you like, you look for an amp to drive them. So many do the opposite and buy an amp first, then they find some 4-ohm, inefficient speakers and the amp isn't stable into 4-ohms.

 

[3db]

Like Mr Garcai has said

A 6-ohm/150W or a 8-ohm/180W?

I liked both PSB Image T65 and Paradigm Monitor 11 and considering one of them for my mains. Since they both sound nice to me (I have normal ears, not audioholic ones), I am working on the math now to find out which one has more "umph" (as audioholics put it).

In amplifiers, typically the rated wattage is calculated 1.5x and 2x the 8-ohm wattage for 6-ohms and 4-ohms respectively. Conversely, a 8-ohm wattage would be 2/3rds of 6-ohm. A typical rating for an amplifier would be: 200W/8ohm, 300W/6ohm, 400W/4ohm.

Can I apply this logic to speakers and conclude rightly that the PSB Image T65 would in effect be at 100W at 8-ohms (2/3rds of 6-ohm wattage), and thus has less "umph" than Paradigm?

Thanx for answering my weird question and reasoning!

Its all about the sensitivity of the speaker which determines how loud they will play. Either one of these will paly louder than you'll be able to bear for extended periods. I would throw the math out and instead take a note pad along with soome material dvds, cds etc that you are very familiar with and listen to them extensively taking down notes about what your likes and dislikes are. Pay attention to details such as brightness on the high end, whether or not you like it or finding it tiring, not enough high resolution, sounds like they are muffled, good clarity and tonal accurcay in the mids, how do womens and mens voices sound like? Do male voices sound artificllay bassy (Is that a word) and boomy? Is the bass tight and fast or does it sound loose and uncontrolled. Whats the imaging and teh soundstahe like? Can you hear invidual instruments easily within the soundstage? Can you locat them withi the soundstage? I hope this kinda helps you along in making up your mind. I'm a PSB fanatic but everyone in here has different tastes. You'll need to listen to your ears trust and trust them. Good luck and let us know what you decided to get.