Love your stuff. I’m a cameraman and i can’t believe you described headroom so wonderfully whilst cutting your head off the top of your video shot. Please make sure you have headroom next time! Thanks for all your videos. Keep up the good (if poorly framed) work.
Christian Slater - True Romance "If there's one thing this last week has taught me, it's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it." That's headroom.
Very very very good explanation. I have always wonder about obsession with the power. Now I understand that is like in the car. You can drive it like any other car, but when you overtaking, then it is very important...
Headroom is simply how much louder you can drive the speakers before the amp runs out of juice. Music volume is not a constant during the track. Having double the volume available is a good starting point which is 10db headroom To increase the volume by just 3db you will double the power the amp needs to make. The sensitivity of the speaker is the most important factor. It tells you how loud they play using only 1 watt. So if the speaker sensitivity is 90 db for 1 watt and you want 9db headroom so 99bd in total you would need about 8 watts. If they were very hard to drive, let's say you needed 50 watts to get 90db then to get 9db headroom you would need 400watts. The more headroom the better but it can start to get expensive. Just an extra 3db more so 12 db in total headroom would be 800w. To put it another way if you had two speakers . One with 86db sensitivity and the other 95db . The amp would have to make 8x more power to make the same volume
Lower bass frequencies require more power from the amplifier for the bass drivers, resulting in taking power away from the mid-range driver and tweeter to drive that bass driver. When you go from 50wpc to 100wpc you will notice the top end and mid-range of the speakers open up. This is more noticeable on an ineffecient speaker than one that's considered efficient. This is what you will gain when going from your 50wpc amplifier to a 100wpc amplifier with your KEF LS50's.
Hi Paul , all true, but most people use less than 10 watts. A average speaker at 87 dB sen at one watt, at 96 dB ,which is loud it is 8 watts. Using a factor of 3 times we are at 24 watts. But in the mids and highs the swings are huge so yes 50 - 100 will sound better. Tubes are different in this , my 150 watt tube amp sounds as powerful as my old 300 watt transistor amp which was a Bryston , to be honest I don’t know why? So yes more is mostly better. In Pro PA systems I use 150 watt amp on tweeters ratted at 10 at ten watts. The old 50 watt amp blew the drivers out every few months, now no problems. So for the hi’s 10 times power. Mids 5 times power and lows 2.5 times power. Also open to learning. Thanks for the vids, be well Andrew, Montreal Canada
Thanks for your great explanation of head room. I have just got a new Power amp for my front 3 speakers. The amp is rated a.t 225w continues and the speakers are rated at 150w continues and 600w peak will that damage my speakers
Audio and Video have alot in common it seems. this headroom for tvs is translated to Bits. Higher Bits higher precision in the image and even low crappy compressed content looks better if the tvs has higher Bits in the image. there is more horsepower to use if needed.
I love your videos and I love PS Audio. I really get my money's worth Paul. Nonstop day and night my PSAudio stack is on. 😄. I thought how can you enjoy the same components after a while? But I do, as soon as I come home I'm in audio Haven.
My rule of thumb has always been the top 20% of any system is useless. If you find yourself there it's either the recording was recorded extremely low or you need more power. To be honest though I don't even like going in that range with a low gain recording. With one exception, my work van's system is a hodge podge of parts, maybe it's because it's a closed in box or maybe I'm just lucky but with 700+ watts (real watts) I can get it up to about 94% before it starts falling apart. The speakers and sub is better then the amps, good head unit, a EQ cleans up the very top end. Not a audiophile system by a long shot but I've listened to it on the way home from rock shows and was not disappointed in the quality and loudness. I really think that's where the high end audiophile will go one day. Not a Van but a listening box so to speak. What is the number one thing audio builders say to do? It's this, that and the other thing to the space you are listening to it in and in most cases you need a pro to come to your space to set it up proper. It will be the Ikea DIY audiophile audio system and listening space. Takes all the guess work out of it and can be built in any space with a screw driver and a tiny Allen wrench. Sit in the box and push the power button and sit back.
Yep. good explanation. add - the KEF's probably - ? - have a powered SUB which assuming it is = to the KEF's in quality, probably mitigates the power required.
Isnt it like when we have more power, the music gets more dynamic? When thera re very dynamic scenes in a movje,that should also help? That the bass will react faster?
first part you say is relevant, second part though is another issue, speed is not about power, you could ask Paul about it if it has not been asked already..
Does it make a difference if it's tube watts ? Slightly tongue in cheek but Kevin Deal from upscale audio seems to think so ( and very enthusiastically ). Certainly in my second system I power my LS50s with a PrimaLuna Prologue 2 which delivers 40 watts per channel and I never need to crank it up beyond 25% volume. It never feels underpowered or as if it is struggling.
thnx. i really appreciate ur vids. u have a way to answer questions with honesty n engineering insight...basically, sharing ur knowledge. so, thnx. i`m thinking of upgrade, but not sure where to put money/energy. amps always confused me....watts vs quality vs value added. this vid really helps!!!
I guess you can't really give a better answer than the linearity without needing a physics or EE degree to understand. I understand that the purpose of an amplifier is to take a small wave and faithfully make it larger but the exact same shape--any change in shape would be a distortion. So why would an amplifier not produce the exact same shape? Well unfortunately, there are physics going on in the wires (I actually think all-in-all not horribly complex physics actually, but more than back-of-the-napkin explanation). Still it would be nice for someone to explain exactly what it is about amplifier design that makes the "upper range" more prone to distortion rather than a metaphorical explanation (e.g. more power mean lift heavier things easier).
Does anyone know how much better the stellar s300 sounds over the sprout100 (assuming it sounds better). I already have an external dac. im looking to buy a new amp so im wondering what's a better buy. i was looking at the sprout 100 mainly for the small size.
Is it correct to say that sound pressure in dB is directly proportional to the log of the power. So for every extra dB you ask you speakers the power output increase exponentially?
3 dB, which requires doubling the original power, is noticeable; 6 dB (four times the original power) is substantial; 10 dB (ten times the power) will double the apparent volume. You can get the same results by using speakers that are more sensitive by the same dB figures.
So, here's the followup question: where is the point of diminishing returns? Bigger is better, sure, but is there such a thing as TOO big for a given setup? Much like with a car, at some point you wind up with more power than you can safely control.
dragonfly fab That’s where you need a high signal to noise ratio to allow the more silent moments to not drown in noise including analog noise or quantization noise.
Boo... when I hear "headroom", I always think of "dynamic headroom", which is supplied by the filter caps of the power to the final power stage, to provide maximum _peak power_ to the load without limiting or clipping. In low voltage supply situations, such as in automotive applications, filter caps of several farads are placed directly across the power supply input terminals of the amplifier, to provide this dynamic headroom, minimizing voltage sags during peak power demands, such as heavy drumbeats... this explanation was not what I expected. Nevertheless, for good _static headroom_ , I would choose an amp which provides 2 or 3 dB higher output than the average (or RMS) load (speaker) rating.
nice from you to explain dynamic headroom which is also an interesting thing, but he is talking about just ...headroom, an rms headroom , which is relative theory but different i guess
Great timing as im thinking of switching to a power amp and separate preamp from an integrated. If im using a marantz pm5005 (40wpc) to power b&w 607 (84db sensitivity) with asw608 active subwoofer and my room is small (Approx 9x9 feet), would i gain an advantage to switching to 150wpc power amp? I mean, on regular flac files i barely touch 10 o’clock. On quiet dsd files, i can only go 2 o’clock on volume to near deafening level and my room is shaking like no tomorrow.
Just another youtube user It all depends. watts are not just watts. My 45wpc Naim atom could power your 84db speaker easier than a 150 watt receiver. A good amp should have a 8, 4 and 2 ohm rating on all channels. What’s your price range?
Pang Bang Dang o wow i cant afford that much. Im just looking at emotiva power amp and pre amp. The marantz can do 4 and 8 ohms according to spec. Its an integrated amp (if that matters). Should i just stick to the marantz and save up for a quality amp? Thanks.
My wife loves music and listens a lot. But she uses those nasty in ear things and won't use either of the systems we have. I've always known it as " Dynamic Headroom ".
LOL I can sure tell that Paul has never worked under a Military contract. If I had designed a ( servo ) amplifier for the Navy and explained this “headroom” thing the way Paul does here to the Navy Engineer he would have laughed himself right under his desk.
Headroom is also how far above the "clean, undistorted power" rating of an amp before it goes into clipping distortion. "3dB" of headroom in an amp means that it can double its "rated/RMS" power output *before it starts* to go into clipping distortion... Unfortunately, most cheaper audio components nowadays, especially most receivers, and almost ALL soundbars and portable audio devices such as bluetooth speakers, etc., almost always rate their "power output" watts at a level that is *already well into* and above the point of which the device's amplifier stage goes into clipping distortion, therefore everything (common, cheaper, lower end), sounds like absolute garbage if you ever turn it up to the point where you actually get its "rated" watts out of it! Lol! That's one reason that I say that most of the older audio equipment from the 70's, 80's, and early 90's is generally better sounding than most of the cheap crap that's out there in the stores now!... Just take a look at most of the better built power amps from the 80's, (just for ONE example, there ARE other good ones too of course, even new stuff, IF you pay a high enough of price for it to be considered truly "high-end"), as those really TRUE rated components will have a specification of, (again ONLY FOR ONE EXAMPLE), something like: "200 watts RMS Per Channel continuous, with BOTH (i.e. left and right) channels driven, (meaning that the component's built-in power supply can effortlessly handle driving both channels at the same time to their maximum clean output), from 10Hz to 20Khz, +/- 0.1dB, (i.e. that 200 watts per channel is the minimum guaranteed power output over the full audio spectrum or very close to it), with no more than 0.005% distortion, (well below the level where the amp reaches clipping distortion), and with 3dB of headroom", (meaning this amp can *actually* deliver 400 watts per channel *before its distortion level gets to be above 0.1%* ) ... Which is a very good, clean/clear/UN-distorted, and truly *useful* rating, which will drive most speakers relatively or even very loudly, (depending on the speaker design, quality, power handling, and its dB SPL of sensitivity, which is another topic entirely), while still delivering a clean and intelligible sound across the entire musical range of frequencies. (intensely heated audiophile debate inserted here, LOL!) Meanwhile, by comparison, I notice that many/most "normal" audio components available now, especially among ones that are not really considered to be "high-end", (like most receivers and soundbars for example), will have a (rather total bullshit) rating that is more like "1000 watts total power", or something like "150 watts x7, with ONE channel driven, (meaning that the component's built-in power supply cannot deliver enough current to power ALL of its output channels to their maximum power output at the same time), at 10% distortion, (which is actually extremely "dirty" sounding, but it seems to have become a new, rather shitty "standard" level of "acceptable" distortion, at which many lower end, entry level, and especially portable devices are rated at now... Actually, "clipping" distortion of an amplifier is usually technically considered to be anything above 0.1%, and most humans can pretty easily hear any distortion above 1% or so), "maximum power output at 1KHz", (instead of the entire audio frequency spectrum, meaning only at the point of the component's peak output power is where the company is rating it, (which is usually somewhere around 1KHz for most audio components), with its power output dropping significantly above and below that frequency)... and, of course most companies never even *mention* any "headroom" spec. anymore in most cases, because there *is none* at the level at which they're rating things now!... Any headroom the device had was completely used up at a level MUCH lower than what they are rating the component at!... Not to mention these kinds of B.S. ratings of anything are almost always at a level where the device's "linearity" is totally gone, instead rating it only at one peak maximum point instead of over the entire musical range, but the topic of linearity is WAY too much to go into here, and that's just one simple aspect of it!... Just kinda think of it as how "consistent" a component performs and sounds, as a very basic understanding of the topic. Also, all of those "bullshit ratings", as I call them, are just a total "numbers game", in order to make most of the newer audio components appear, (to the untrained eye), to be "more powerful" or "better" than the one next to it, in an attempt to increase sales!... Don't fall for that crap! Inform yourself of what actually IS a really good rating AND what is NOT, using as much quality information as you can find! Do your "homework" when it comes to shopping for a new (or even used) audio component, because it will pay off in much better sound quality, longer device longevity due to it not being continuously "overstressed" even under normal use, and most importantly, more end-user happiness and *enjoyment* of the music or movie sound being delivered to your ears! The topic of "headroom" is a "lost art" among most audio companies now, it seems, but if you really want to understand more about it just ask a few audiophile type people who know a lot about audio power amplifiers to explain it further, (myself included if you want... Also Paul here in this video really knows his stuff too!), but this topic of the audio quality realm is way too involved to totally and thoroughly explain in only one video or comment on UA-cam!... And the topic of headroom is also *only ONE of literally 1000's of things* that make up what truly great sound is composed of!... I think that's one of the reasons that most of the younger crowd doesn't seem to know too much about it, or even care, because most simply don't have the time in their busy lives to really learn about it... unless you are a true "audio nerd" like ME! LOL! (or Paul here in this video!)... But that's what us more knowledgable and experienced people are here for... to teach anyone who wants to learn about all of the aspects of truly great audio and sound!... BTW, keep up your great work and videos Paul, they are always very informative and enjoyable to watch! I had subscribed to your channel many years ago, as soon as I discovered it. I can immediately tell if someone I listen to or talk to is really knowledgable about all things audio!... OR, if they're basically just an uninformed idiot, repeating the first dumb advice they heard online! LOL!... More people need to know about your channel though because you give really great info for the more intelligent, "always willing to learn new things" (properly) crowd! I really appreciate what you do, and if I'm ever up there in Colorado around your company plant I will definitely stop in and take a tour, and talk audio and speaker stuff with you for a few hours! :)
Having good headroom has about the same effect in that when you comes close to the limit of the amps abilities, the distortion goes up, and the dynamics flattens. All the way until you get square waves that destroy tweeters. If the sound beginning to sound hard in upper mids/treble then you have gone past the amplifiers good working area. More watts will probably help. The speakers will also have a power handling curve independent of the power amplifier. So if the speakers can't handle more than 50 watts, then sending 100 watts could damage the speakers even if the headroom of the amp is not reached yet.
One way I can think of explaining Headroom is, if you have an external audio source hooked up to a reciever through wires or Bluetooth connection that has its own volume such as a phone. If you turn the the volume down on your phone you'll have to turn up the volume on your receiver and it go as loud because you've lost head room. Now if you turn the volume on your phone to Max you won't have to turn the receiver up as much and it will play louder because you've gained headroom from the phones volume level
@Fat Rat Lol I thought you were kidding; Michael Fremer is *FAMOUS* in HiFi. It's like not knowing Paul McGowan, Steve Guttenberg or people like Steve Hoffmann and Douglas Self 😆
@Fat Rat Funny Rat 😜 Ah well, you're not alone; I don't really know what a Freddy Mercury is and people think that's unbelievable. It's some kind of new hipster retrohype I suppose and I'm not into hipster crap.
i own the kef ls50s (i pair them with a Yamaha A-S801 integrated amp--conservatively rated @ 100 w). i found this article very useful in choosing an amp: us.kef.com/blog/finding-the-right-amplifer-for-your-passive-speakers-part-ii-putting-it-all-together the author recommends a minimum of 60 watts
Isn't it ironic this video about headroom is constantly cutting Paul's head off out of the frame?
LOL, it really drives home how important headroom is.
LOL! you made my day!
Haha😂
Best post of the thread! lol
Don't you think
Love your stuff. I’m a cameraman and i can’t believe you described headroom so wonderfully whilst cutting your head off the top of your video shot. Please make sure you have headroom next time! Thanks for all your videos. Keep up the good (if poorly framed) work.
Christian Slater - True Romance "If there's one thing this last week has taught me, it's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it." That's headroom.
When everybody thinks like that - every body needs guns.
It's better to have a gun you can use, than the biggest magnum you can buy.
Very very very good explanation. I have always wonder about obsession with the power. Now I understand that is like in the car. You can drive it like any other car, but when you overtaking, then it is very important...
Headroom is simply how much louder you can drive the speakers before the amp runs out of juice. Music volume is not a constant during the track. Having double the volume available is a good starting point which is 10db headroom To increase the volume by just 3db you will double the power the amp needs to make. The sensitivity of the speaker is the most important factor. It tells you how loud they play using only 1 watt.
So if the speaker sensitivity is 90 db for 1 watt and you want 9db headroom so 99bd in total you would need about 8 watts. If they were very hard to drive, let's say you needed 50 watts to get 90db then to get 9db headroom you would need 400watts.
The more headroom the better but it can start to get expensive. Just an extra 3db more so 12 db in total headroom would be 800w. To put it another way if you had two speakers . One with 86db sensitivity and the other 95db . The amp would have to make 8x more power to make the same volume
How many db is between zero watts and one watt. Yeah that's my point exactly.
And let's not forget, that's at a distance of one meter... 😉
Lower bass frequencies require more power from the amplifier for the bass drivers, resulting in taking power away from the mid-range driver and tweeter to drive that bass driver. When you go from 50wpc to 100wpc you will notice the top end and mid-range of the speakers open up. This is more noticeable on an ineffecient speaker than one that's considered efficient. This is what you will gain when going from your 50wpc amplifier to a 100wpc amplifier with your KEF LS50's.
Hi Paul , all true, but most people use less than 10 watts. A average speaker at 87 dB sen at one watt, at 96 dB ,which is loud it is 8 watts. Using a factor of 3 times we are at 24 watts. But in the mids and highs the swings are huge so yes 50 - 100 will sound better. Tubes are different in this , my 150 watt tube amp sounds as powerful as my old 300 watt transistor amp which was a Bryston , to be honest I don’t know why? So yes more is mostly better. In Pro PA systems I use 150 watt amp on tweeters ratted at 10 at ten watts. The old 50 watt amp blew the drivers out every few months, now no problems. So for the hi’s 10 times power. Mids 5 times power and lows 2.5 times power. Also open to learning. Thanks for the vids, be well
Andrew, Montreal Canada
Thanks for your great explanation of head room. I have just got a new Power amp for my front 3 speakers. The amp is rated a.t 225w continues and the speakers are rated at 150w continues and 600w peak will that damage my speakers
Thanks Paul, I always enjoy your videos. They are pleasant & informative
Audio and Video have alot in common it seems.
this headroom for tvs is translated to Bits.
Higher Bits higher precision in the image and even low crappy compressed content looks better if the tvs has higher Bits in the image.
there is more horsepower to use if needed.
Max Headroom was a compuer in the 1980 on MTV.
I love your videos and I love PS Audio. I really get my money's worth Paul. Nonstop day and night my PSAudio stack is on. 😄. I thought how can you enjoy the same components after a while? But I do, as soon as I come home I'm in audio Haven.
Great explanation and now, I clearly understand that. Thanks, Paul!
Headroom is what makes your neighbours angry hahaha
A 40 watt amp with a big power supply has more headroom than a 40 watt amp with a small power supply.
My rule of thumb has always been the top 20% of any system is useless. If you find yourself there it's either the recording was recorded extremely low or you need more power. To be honest though I don't even like going in that range with a low gain recording. With one exception, my work van's system is a hodge podge of parts, maybe it's because it's a closed in box or maybe I'm just lucky but with 700+ watts (real watts) I can get it up to about 94% before it starts falling apart. The speakers and sub is better then the amps, good head unit, a EQ cleans up the very top end. Not a audiophile system by a long shot but I've listened to it on the way home from rock shows and was not disappointed in the quality and loudness.
I really think that's where the high end audiophile will go one day. Not a Van but a listening box so to speak. What is the number one thing audio builders say to do? It's this, that and the other thing to the space you are listening to it in and in most cases you need a pro to come to your space to set it up proper. It will be the Ikea DIY audiophile audio system and listening space. Takes all the guess work out of it and can be built in any space with a screw driver and a tiny Allen wrench. Sit in the box and push the power button and sit back.
Peaks can be 10 to 20 db higher than average. So if your average listening level is at 1 watt you would need at least 100 watts to cover your peaks.
So the lack of headroom is audio compression with distortion at amplification level?
Yep. good explanation. add - the KEF's probably - ? - have a powered SUB which assuming it is = to the KEF's in quality, probably mitigates the power required.
Isnt it like when we have more power, the music gets more dynamic? When thera re very dynamic scenes in a movje,that should also help? That the bass will react faster?
first part you say is relevant, second part though is another issue, speed is not about power, you could ask Paul about it if it has not been asked already..
Does it make a difference if it's tube watts ? Slightly tongue in cheek but Kevin Deal from upscale audio seems to think so ( and very enthusiastically ). Certainly in my second system I power my LS50s with a PrimaLuna Prologue 2 which delivers 40 watts per channel and I never need to crank it up beyond 25% volume. It never feels underpowered or as if it is struggling.
thnx. i really appreciate ur vids. u have a way to answer questions with honesty n engineering insight...basically, sharing ur knowledge. so, thnx. i`m thinking of upgrade, but not sure where to put money/energy. amps always confused me....watts vs quality vs value added. this vid really helps!!!
I guess you can't really give a better answer than the linearity without needing a physics or EE degree to understand. I understand that the purpose of an amplifier is to take a small wave and faithfully make it larger but the exact same shape--any change in shape would be a distortion. So why would an amplifier not produce the exact same shape? Well unfortunately, there are physics going on in the wires (I actually think all-in-all not horribly complex physics actually, but more than back-of-the-napkin explanation).
Still it would be nice for someone to explain exactly what it is about amplifier design that makes the "upper range" more prone to distortion rather than a metaphorical explanation (e.g. more power mean lift heavier things easier).
Does anyone know how much better the stellar s300 sounds over the sprout100 (assuming it sounds better). I already have an external dac. im looking to buy a new amp so im wondering what's a better buy. i was looking at the sprout 100 mainly for the small size.
I already knew what "headroom" was, but you explained it really well, Paul!
Thanks Paul again.
I read the title as “Heardoom.” I must say, I think heardoom sounds a bit more interesting. 😂 But this topic was good, too!
Is it correct to say that sound pressure in dB is directly proportional to the log of the power. So for every extra dB you ask you speakers the power output increase exponentially?
3 dB, which requires doubling the original power, is noticeable;
6 dB (four times the original power) is substantial;
10 dB (ten times the power) will double the apparent volume.
You can get the same results by using speakers that are more sensitive by the same dB figures.
Is the plastic cart Paul’s sitting on ESD safe?
So, here's the followup question: where is the point of diminishing returns? Bigger is better, sure, but is there such a thing as TOO big for a given setup? Much like with a car, at some point you wind up with more power than you can safely control.
Both myself and my wife love your video's. We both read your book.
Always great information, thank you.
Headroom is what makes your music play loud without audible distortion.
How bout how far below normal listening level do you still have resolution.
dragonfly fab That’s where you need a high signal to noise ratio to allow the more silent moments to not drown in noise including analog noise or quantization noise.
Great video. Very informative, thank you.
Paul, is that your Cavalier?
Thank you Paul. Very interesting
Such a cute dog
Excellent explanation Paul! People who think powering speakers with 1,5, 10 or 40wpc amps is enough will never understand that it is NOT ENOUGH.
Cute 'woofer' for the click bait shot on the UA-cam home page.
I've been doing pretty good with 30 watts. Even better with 5 watts.
Boo... when I hear "headroom", I always think of "dynamic headroom", which is supplied by the filter caps of the power to the final power stage, to provide maximum _peak power_ to the load without limiting or clipping. In low voltage supply situations, such as in automotive applications, filter caps of several farads are placed directly across the power supply input terminals of the amplifier, to provide this dynamic headroom, minimizing voltage sags during peak power demands, such as heavy drumbeats... this explanation was not what I expected. Nevertheless, for good _static headroom_ , I would choose an amp which provides 2 or 3 dB higher output than the average (or RMS) load (speaker) rating.
nice from you to explain dynamic headroom which is also an interesting thing, but he is talking about just ...headroom, an rms headroom , which is relative theory but different i guess
'I cant get my wife to....' bwahahahaha.
We also watch you everyday Paul, the finer parts of life.....
Great timing as im thinking of switching to a power amp and separate preamp from an integrated.
If im using a marantz pm5005 (40wpc) to power b&w 607 (84db sensitivity) with asw608 active subwoofer and my room is small (Approx 9x9 feet), would i gain an advantage to switching to 150wpc power amp?
I mean, on regular flac files i barely touch 10 o’clock. On quiet dsd files, i can only go 2 o’clock on volume to near deafening level and my room is shaking like no tomorrow.
Just another youtube user It all depends. watts are not just watts. My 45wpc Naim atom could power your 84db speaker easier than a 150 watt receiver. A good amp should have a 8, 4 and 2 ohm rating on all channels. What’s your price range?
Just another youtube user To have a good 100 watt amplifier cost around 2000$ (new). I would recommend hifishark and the Hegel H100 (800$)
Pang Bang Dang o wow i cant afford that much. Im just looking at emotiva power amp and pre amp.
The marantz can do 4 and 8 ohms according to spec. Its an integrated amp (if that matters).
Should i just stick to the marantz and save up for a quality amp?
Thanks.
Pang Bang Dang hmm the hegel seems to be in my price range. Might give that a look.
As you are aware I'm sure 10 watts RMS is too loud for anybody in a normal room, and more than 1 watt on a tweeter would make you deaf
Great. All that money spent on a new roof to raise my ceiling in the living room...
The contractors botched the job, so I raised the roof.
Head room is when the steering wheels not in the way
My wife loves music and listens a lot. But she uses those nasty in ear things and won't use either of the systems we have.
I've always known it as " Dynamic Headroom ".
LOL I can sure tell that Paul has never worked under a Military contract. If I had designed a ( servo ) amplifier for the Navy and explained this “headroom” thing the way Paul does here to the Navy Engineer he would have laughed himself right under his desk.
Headroom is also how far above the "clean, undistorted power" rating of an amp before it goes into clipping distortion. "3dB" of headroom in an amp means that it can double its "rated/RMS" power output *before it starts* to go into clipping distortion... Unfortunately, most cheaper audio components nowadays, especially most receivers, and almost ALL soundbars and portable audio devices such as bluetooth speakers, etc., almost always rate their "power output" watts at a level that is *already well into* and above the point of which the device's amplifier stage goes into clipping distortion, therefore everything (common, cheaper, lower end), sounds like absolute garbage if you ever turn it up to the point where you actually get its "rated" watts out of it! Lol!
That's one reason that I say that most of the older audio equipment from the 70's, 80's, and early 90's is generally better sounding than most of the cheap crap that's out there in the stores now!... Just take a look at most of the better built power amps from the 80's, (just for ONE example, there ARE other good ones too of course, even new stuff, IF you pay a high enough of price for it to be considered truly "high-end"), as those really TRUE rated components will have a specification of, (again ONLY FOR ONE EXAMPLE), something like: "200 watts RMS Per Channel continuous, with BOTH (i.e. left and right) channels driven, (meaning that the component's built-in power supply can effortlessly handle driving both channels at the same time to their maximum clean output), from 10Hz to 20Khz, +/- 0.1dB, (i.e. that 200 watts per channel is the minimum guaranteed power output over the full audio spectrum or very close to it), with no more than 0.005% distortion, (well below the level where the amp reaches clipping distortion), and with 3dB of headroom", (meaning this amp can *actually* deliver 400 watts per channel *before its distortion level gets to be above 0.1%* ) ... Which is a very good, clean/clear/UN-distorted, and truly *useful* rating, which will drive most speakers relatively or even very loudly, (depending on the speaker design, quality, power handling, and its dB SPL of sensitivity, which is another topic entirely), while still delivering a clean and intelligible sound across the entire musical range of frequencies. (intensely heated audiophile debate inserted here, LOL!)
Meanwhile, by comparison, I notice that many/most "normal" audio components available now, especially among ones that are not really considered to be "high-end", (like most receivers and soundbars for example), will have a (rather total bullshit) rating that is more like "1000 watts total power", or something like "150 watts x7, with ONE channel driven, (meaning that the component's built-in power supply cannot deliver enough current to power ALL of its output channels to their maximum power output at the same time), at 10% distortion, (which is actually extremely "dirty" sounding, but it seems to have become a new, rather shitty "standard" level of "acceptable" distortion, at which many lower end, entry level, and especially portable devices are rated at now... Actually, "clipping" distortion of an amplifier is usually technically considered to be anything above 0.1%, and most humans can pretty easily hear any distortion above 1% or so), "maximum power output at 1KHz", (instead of the entire audio frequency spectrum, meaning only at the point of the component's peak output power is where the company is rating it, (which is usually somewhere around 1KHz for most audio components), with its power output dropping significantly above and below that frequency)... and, of course most companies never even *mention* any "headroom" spec. anymore in most cases, because there *is none* at the level at which they're rating things now!... Any headroom the device had was completely used up at a level MUCH lower than what they are rating the component at!... Not to mention these kinds of B.S. ratings of anything are almost always at a level where the device's "linearity" is totally gone, instead rating it only at one peak maximum point instead of over the entire musical range, but the topic of linearity is WAY too much to go into here, and that's just one simple aspect of it!... Just kinda think of it as how "consistent" a component performs and sounds, as a very basic understanding of the topic.
Also, all of those "bullshit ratings", as I call them, are just a total "numbers game", in order to make most of the newer audio components appear, (to the untrained eye), to be "more powerful" or "better" than the one next to it, in an attempt to increase sales!... Don't fall for that crap! Inform yourself of what actually IS a really good rating AND what is NOT, using as much quality information as you can find! Do your "homework" when it comes to shopping for a new (or even used) audio component, because it will pay off in much better sound quality, longer device longevity due to it not being continuously "overstressed" even under normal use, and most importantly, more end-user happiness and *enjoyment* of the music or movie sound being delivered to your ears!
The topic of "headroom" is a "lost art" among most audio companies now, it seems, but if you really want to understand more about it just ask a few audiophile type people who know a lot about audio power amplifiers to explain it further, (myself included if you want... Also Paul here in this video really knows his stuff too!), but this topic of the audio quality realm is way too involved to totally and thoroughly explain in only one video or comment on UA-cam!... And the topic of headroom is also *only ONE of literally 1000's of things* that make up what truly great sound is composed of!... I think that's one of the reasons that most of the younger crowd doesn't seem to know too much about it, or even care, because most simply don't have the time in their busy lives to really learn about it... unless you are a true "audio nerd" like ME! LOL! (or Paul here in this video!)... But that's what us more knowledgable and experienced people are here for... to teach anyone who wants to learn about all of the aspects of truly great audio and sound!...
BTW, keep up your great work and videos Paul, they are always very informative and enjoyable to watch! I had subscribed to your channel many years ago, as soon as I discovered it. I can immediately tell if someone I listen to or talk to is really knowledgable about all things audio!... OR, if they're basically just an uninformed idiot, repeating the first dumb advice they heard online! LOL!... More people need to know about your channel though because you give really great info for the more intelligent, "always willing to learn new things" (properly) crowd! I really appreciate what you do, and if I'm ever up there in Colorado around your company plant I will definitely stop in and take a tour, and talk audio and speaker stuff with you for a few hours! :)
Nice
The real question is how this headroom affects different amplifier classes (A vs D, the usual suspects).
Having good headroom has about the same effect in that when you comes close to the limit of the amps abilities, the distortion goes up, and the dynamics flattens. All the way until you get square waves that destroy tweeters. If the sound beginning to sound hard in upper mids/treble then you have gone past the amplifiers good working area. More watts will probably help. The speakers will also have a power handling curve independent of the power amplifier. So if the speakers can't handle more than 50 watts, then sending 100 watts could damage the speakers even if the headroom of the amp is not reached yet.
@@oysteinsoreide4323 One of the few commenters that know what they are talking about. Good on you sir.
One way I can think of explaining Headroom is, if you have an external audio source hooked up to a reciever through wires or Bluetooth connection that has its own volume such as a phone. If you turn the the volume down on your phone you'll have to turn up the volume on your receiver and it go as loud because you've lost head room. Now if you turn the volume on your phone to Max you won't have to turn the receiver up as much and it will play louder because you've gained headroom from the phones volume level
Max. Headroom
@Fat Rat Michael Fremer
Did you say Fremer...? 🙃
Jk 😜
@Fat Rat Lol I thought you were kidding; Michael Fremer is *FAMOUS* in HiFi.
It's like not knowing Paul McGowan, Steve Guttenberg or people like Steve Hoffmann and Douglas Self 😆
@Fat Rat Funny Rat 😜
Ah well, you're not alone; I don't really know what a Freddy Mercury is and people think that's unbelievable.
It's some kind of new hipster retrohype I suppose and I'm not into hipster crap.
@Fat Rat Ah right, so Freddie Mercury is a synonym for "old people music" 😆
Okay...cutting off the top of your head in the video...that was on purpose, right?...slow clap...
Speaking of headroom, could you PLEASE turn down your mic preamp gain! It's distorting!
+1
i own the kef ls50s (i pair them with a Yamaha A-S801 integrated amp--conservatively rated @ 100 w). i found this article very useful in choosing an amp:
us.kef.com/blog/finding-the-right-amplifer-for-your-passive-speakers-part-ii-putting-it-all-together
the author recommends a minimum of 60 watts
So, instead of having sex or eating a food after work they have a ritual to watch this guy))
No headroom needed with a soft top sports car