Vince32837, human hearing responds to proportional changes, not absolute ones. The perceived difference between a 100-watt and a 200-watt input to a speaker is just the same as the perceived difference between a 1-watt and a 2-watt difference, except the sounds in the first case would be described by the typical listener as being four times as loud as those in the second case. Yes, I mean four times as loud - not 100 times as loud. Read any text on psychoacoustics, or even introductory psychology. That's why sound levels are measured in decibels - a logarithm-based figure - and it's why amplifier power levels ought to be converted into DBW, or decibels above one watt, before trying to compare them. My nOrh Le Amp II monoblocks are supposed to be able to deliver 400 watts into my 4-ohm Magneplanars. That sentence tells you just exactly nothing useful - if it pushes any emotional buttons, I'm sorry. But 400 watts translates to 26 decibels above 1 watt, or 26 dbw. Okay - if I know that and know the sensitivity spec for my speakers, which is about 85 db for 1-watt input (on the low side), then I know my amps can push my speakers to peaks of about 111 db each, or 114 db together. I also know that's about 24 db more than my condo neighbors can reasonably be expected to tolerate, or that I would tolerate from one of them. How much power would it take to drive my speakers to the max acceptable level? About three watts, which is 5 dbw.
Which is why I think people ought not to be impressed by astronomical wattage specs.

Paul Nay