BlindDog
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Wattage vs. Area
Are there any calculations or rules-of-thumb for determining the appropriate amp wattage for a room of a particular size with a target dbA level?
-Kevin Accidents "happen". Success, however, is planned and executed.
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ohhey
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RE: Wattage vs. Area
2006/10/30 10:52:06
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ORIGINAL: BlindDog
Are there any calculations or rules-of-thumb for determining the appropriate amp wattage for a room of a particular size with a target dbA level?
I've never seen amps selected that way, the way I like to choose an amp is just to make sure it can drive the speakers without distortion (from the amp). My rule is that the amp should be twice the power the speakers can handle. That way you stay in the lower (clean) area of the amps output and have enough reserve power for punch in the low end. If you have to turn up the amp more then half way you may need a larger one. The speakers make a difference also, some speakers make a lot of output with less power and some need a ton of power to make the same level. Check the db at 1w, 1m spec. on the speakers and that will let you compare them.
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krizrox
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RE: Wattage vs. Area
2006/10/30 10:55:48
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Larry Kriz www.LnLRecording.com www.myspace.com/lnlrecording Sonar PE 8.5, Samplitude Pro 11, Sonic Core Scope Professional/XTC, A16 Ultra AD/DA, Intel DG965RY MOBO, Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz processor, XFX GeForce 7300 GT PCIe video card, Barracuda 750 & 320GB SATA drives, 4GB DDR Ram, Plextor DVD/CD-R burner.
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BlindDog
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RE: Wattage vs. Area
2006/10/30 11:02:51
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Thanks for the link - I'll look into that.
-Kevin Accidents "happen". Success, however, is planned and executed.
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themidiroom
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RE: Wattage vs. Area
2006/10/30 11:48:07
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Wow somebody besides me isn't only using powered monitors? 
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BlindDog
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RE: Wattage vs. Area
2006/10/30 12:24:01
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Well, I'm renovating my portable system and trying to be a little smarter about it than I've been historically.
-Kevin Accidents "happen". Success, however, is planned and executed.
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themidiroom
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RE: Wattage vs. Area
2006/10/30 13:09:35
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ORIGINAL: BlindDog
Well, I'm renovating my portable system and trying to be a little smarter about it than I've been historically.
That's cool. What kind of monitors are you using?
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BlindDog
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RE: Wattage vs. Area
2006/10/30 13:22:01
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My mains right now are a pair of Peavey SP4s. I'm wanting to add another pair of SP4s and a pair of matching subs per side.
-Kevin Accidents "happen". Success, however, is planned and executed.
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themidiroom
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RE: Wattage vs. Area
2006/10/30 13:35:04
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ORIGINAL: BlindDog
My mains right now are a pair of Peavey SP4s. I'm wanting to add another pair of SP4s and a pair of matching subs per side.
I assumed you were talking about studio monitors.  Those Peavey's aren't bad. I had a sound gig once at a venue that used them. They had a Crown CE2000 running them as mains. The rig was probably too much for the space. It only sat about 60-80 people.
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BlindDog
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RE: Wattage vs. Area
2006/10/30 13:42:42
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Yeah, my target for the SP4s was a moderate sized room with about 300-400 people, which works well. The pair isn't cutting it on outdoor events, howevever, which is why I'm looking at another pair plus subs and the necessary amps, crossovers, etc.
-Kevin Accidents "happen". Success, however, is planned and executed.
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themidiroom
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RE: Wattage vs. Area
2006/10/30 13:55:19
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ORIGINAL: BlindDog
Yeah, my target for the SP4s was a moderate sized room with about 300-400 people, which works well. The pair isn't cutting it on outdoor events, howevever, which is why I'm looking at another pair plus subs and the necessary amps, crossovers, etc.
Sounds like a plan. If you can afford it, I would go with a couple double 18" subs for outdoor stuff.
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