Underpowered amp question
Hello,
I found a deal on a pair of used speakers that have a power recommendation of 100 – 350 Watts (Amphion One18).
My current amplifier, Onkyo A-9010, has a rating of 44 Watts per channel if I understand things correctly.
Is that enough Watts to power the speakers in a small room? Or am I risking damage to the speakers if I don't upgrade the amp as well?
It's not good for the amp to run a load that exceeds the power output of the amp.
Your amp should always have excess power, aka headroom, otherwise it will strain and struggle to drive a load bigger than it is designed to handle. Same reason you should not run a 20amp load on a 15amp breaker. It's too much load for the source.
Will it work? It will probably make sound, but it won't be as loud, it won't have the same level of clarity, and the amp certainly won't be happy about it.
Thanks for the reply!
You're very welcome :)
Nuanced, but straight answer upgrade that receiver/amp
That amp is made for 4 ohm speakers and those bad boys are 8 ohm
Drive them with an amp befitting their ability. I'm drooling at those 350W studio monitors
According to HifiEngine, the A-9010 does just fine with speaker impedances from 4-16 Ohm. The 44WPC effect is rated at 8 Ohm, so the issue is still the low power output.