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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2062 Registered: Mar-05 | I will be getting some Infinity Kappa 692.7i coaxials, they are listed as "110 watts RMS power handling." Will I hear a noticeable difference if I go with the PPI DCX600.4 (150wpc at 2 ohms) instead of the 300.4 (75 wpc at 2 ohms)? I am not one to drive around trying to rattle everybody else's windows, though there are days when I like a bit of volume. In my experience with home audio, I find that having that extra power tends to enhance SQ even at low/moderate volumes because it makes the speakers sound better. Ditto for car audio? |
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Bronze Member Username: TdisantoPost Number: 51 Registered: Sep-05 | http://www.wickedcases.com/caraudio/speakerpwr.html worth reading! |
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Silver Member Username: XkawnPost Number: 119 Registered: Jul-05 | always only look at rms. max power is obsolete. that being said, from my understanding, you should always over power your speakers a little. you do not want to under power for two reasons. 1) you do not want to over work your amp. 2) you don't want to turn your amp up (volume) to the point of distortion (clipping). it will ruin (blow) your speakers. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2073 Registered: Mar-05 | > always only look at rms. max power is obsolete. I agree. I guess I'm not sure what "RMS power handling" means---is this the maximum RMS, or is this the optimal RMS? |
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Silver Member Username: RovinTrinidad & T... Post Number: 668 Registered: Jul-05 | The way i look @ the whole question is like this - your car's engine can make it go 150 kph but under normal driving conditions u drive around usually 80 or less , 120 max briefly . So my theory on amps are the same if a sub 'needs' 1000wrms then i'd buy a 1200wrms amp & turn the gains down a bit so the amp doesn't have to worh @ full power & runs cooler . Thats just my 2 cents , others will say otherwise .... |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfWisteria, Lane USA Post Number: 10432 Registered: Dec-03 | RMS in this case is actually "continuous" it's the peak continuous power rating. If I recall, I defined that in the URL listed above, if you read it. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2100 Registered: Mar-05 | ooh, I didn't notice your byline in the microscopic script at the bottom. Very impressive---didn't know you were a published writer! So if those Kappas are listed at 110 wpc power handling that means I should shoot for an amp that can do (110 x 0.80) around 90 wpc? In your opinion would the 75 wpc dcx300.4 have noticeably lower performance, even if I don't crank the speakers? |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfWisteria, Lane USA Post Number: 10440 Registered: Dec-03 | 75-100 watts/chan would be great on kappas. 75 per would be fine. you probably won't use all of that power anyway but the added headroom is always good. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2114 Registered: Mar-05 | Thanks GW, glad to hear that...yeah I am not as much of a volume freak as I was in my 15-25 y.o. days. btw have you ever heard the Kappa coaxials yourself? Part of me is tempted to just resell them when they come in and order 2 pairs of Infinity Refs instead, since those are 4 ohms and wouldn't require the trouble and expense of an external amp. I really wasn't looking to set up a super duper system in the Camry, just wanted a budget-friendly solution that'd be better than these OEM speakers that buzz and hum so much that I have to set the bass on -5. |
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Silver Member Username: MixneffectOrangevale, Ca. USA Post Number: 366 Registered: Apr-05 | If I may add; Peak Power = Amount of power a speaker may handle for 1/1000 of a second. Yes, one one-thousandth of a second. Continous Power = Maximum power that a speaker may handle. This is also estimate. It is supposed to be the average a speaker may handle after it undergoes a "600 hour bench test". In theory this sounds bullet proof. However, it is just an estimate. Most manufacturers just use statistics to calculate it. It is however, the most reliable out of the ones mentioned here (IMO). R.M.S. = This is a RATIO, not a definete number. It (in lame-mans-terms) is usually about 70% of the Peak Power). |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfWisteria, Lane USA Post Number: 10458 Registered: Dec-03 | .707 of peak is RMS. it's the root mean square of peak actually, but this is why RMS and continuous ratings are mixed up a lot.. usually what's really meant is continuous. yaeh I ran kappa perfects and refs in one of my cars, and the refs aren't that good.. I just used them for rear speakers in a jeep for people in back. The kappas are much better.. and both the kappas are refs are 4 ohms.. the kappas just handle more power and give much better, more detailed response when fed that power |
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Silver Member Username: RovinTrinidad & T... Post Number: 676 Registered: Jul-05 | Big OOPS in my post above , i really though he was talking about SUBS (somehow my eyes skipped over the 'coaxials' part) so my theory wouldn't fit to powering small speakers . With subs i found that u can get away with over power by a small marging BUT with the smaller speakers - best if the numbers are matched more closely . |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2128 Registered: Mar-05 | OK, here are the two options I'm looking at: 1. Resell the Kappas at a small loss. I paid about $210 shipped for them, can probably unload them for say $180 and order 2 pairs of the 4 ohm Infinity Refs for $150 shipped, so total cost = $180 + $100 install = $280. 2. Keep the Kappas, buy a refurb PPI DCX300.4 (75wpc @ 2 ohms) amp plus Line Converter = $210 + $140 + 30 + 140 install= $520. Difference is about $240...so in your judgement am I getting $240 worth of improved SQ over option #1? |