Community Professional Loudspeakers
MVP™ Series II Owner’s Manual
7
What Amplifier Should You Use?
There are several things to keep in mind when selecting an amplifier. First, you need an amplifier with
enough output power. Even if you are not planning to run your system at very loud levels, an amplifier
needs to have enough power so that the dynamics of speech and music will not cause “clipping.” An
amplifier that is pushed beyond its output power capability will clip signals. Not only does this sound
bad, but the effect on a low frequency speaker or mid or high-frequency driver is similar to hitting the
cone or diaphragm with a hammer. Because of this,
too small an amplifier can be more damaging to
speakers than one that seemingly has too much power.
Peaks in speech or music signals can easily
exceed the average power levels by a factor of ten. If your amplifier is not big enough, these peaks
become clipped and distorted.
So how many watts can this baby handle?
You’ve heard this question a thousand times, and there is no precise answer. It depends on a number of
factors, including the thermal/mechanical limits of the drivers and crossover components. It also
depends on the input signal, its peak/average ratio, rise times, and spectral (frequency) content.
In considering what size amplifier to use, rather than focusing on the speaker’s power handling, it is more
important to determine what is the
OPTIMUM
power for the speaker. For Community loudspeakers
the best answer lies in the
PROGRAM
power rating. This Program power rating should determine the
size amplifier you should use.
Determining Power Ratings
If you can’t find an amplifier with that exact rating, multiply the PROGRAM power rating by .80 and
again by 1.25 to find the recommended power range. For example, the range for a 500W PROGRAM
power rating is from 400W (.80 X 500) to 625W (1.25 X 500). Anything larger is potentially excessive.
Anything smaller can cause damage. The amplifier will clip before activating the Dyna-Tech™ protection
circuits.
Our RMS rating represents the thermal power limit for the loudspeaker. It is also a standard number for
comparing to other products. The impedance or speaker load the amplifier "sees" is very important. If
the amplifier is not rated for the impedance load, the internal protection circuitry of the amplifier may
prevent full-power output. Additionally, if the amplifier is not of high enough quality or does not have
good internal protection against over-load, the amplifier or the speakers may be damaged.
Using the Right Amplifier
In summary, it is very important to use an amplifier that has enough power to properly drive your
loudspeaker. You may use any quality amplifier to power your new loudspeakers. To avoid distortion
and potential damage, the output power of your amplifier must be sufficient to drive the loudspeaker
system to the sound pressure level you desire without driving the amplifier into “clipping.” If your
amplifier has "clip" or "protect" lights mounted on the front and you see them illuminate during normal
use, then you probably need a larger amplifier or may want to consider band limiting the amplifier. To
achieve this, you can employ a sub sonic / high pass filter.
