A social event would not be complete without music. Bluetooth speakers are readily available in the market. Consumers are often confused by the wattage issue.
The wattage of a speaker will affect its loudness and clarity? What are your thoughts on choosing a high-watt speaker over a speaker with poor audio quality? What is the optimum number of watts for a speaker?
How Many Watts Is A Good Speaker?
A home speaker should have a power rating of between 15 and 30 watts. Twenty watts is usually sufficient for most homeowners. The power of a speaker for large gatherings can range between 50 watts and 100 watts.
These levels of power are not appropriate for use in the home. Several factors influence the wattage of a speaker, including its sensitivity, as well as its importance.
Speaker wattage poses a challenging issue because there is no specific definition. A speaker’s power rating can be viewed as the total power that the amplifier can deliver to the speaker or as the power required by the speaker from the amplifier.
Some users believe that wattage is related to the loudness of the speaker. It is important to know that when selecting a speaker, you should not match it with an amplifier whose output power is greater than the speaker’s wattage.
With a power rating below the power rating of the speaker, you will have a better sound quality, and your speaker will be safer. You may also risk damaging the speaker if you play it so loudly that you hear distortion.
To achieve excellent sound quality, you must understand the best wattage. The quality of the sound is also important to consider in addition to the loudness.
The efficiency of a speaker, the number of speakers that are connected to an amplifier, as well as the distance between speakers determine the loudness and quality of sound.
The fact remains that anyone who plans to host parties and events at home or away will need more power to do so. You can play louder without distortion if you have a more powerful amplifier and speaker.
It is recommended that you purchase a high-wattage speaker, up to 100 watts, if you wish to hear clear audio. You do not need to be concerned about the speaker’s power rating if you listen to audio at moderate levels of volume.
The majority of people will find 20 watts sufficient. Manufacturers may offer loudspeakers with high power, but with low-quality sound.
Speakers rated at 110 watts are readily available, but their quality is poor at high volumes. It is possible to find other products with a capacity of 10 watts or less, but with excellent quality. The price of the power is very low, but the price of the quality is very high.
It is possible to obtain high-quality audio with very low power if you select very sensitive speakers.
How Do Decibels and Levels Affect Wattage in Speakers?
The decibels, dB, indicate how loud an object is. A decibel is a logarithmic unit of loudness, which means that a slight increase in number can result in a greater change in volume.
If the volume of a speaker is increased from 40dB to 80dB, the decibels double, but the perceived volume increases by an even greater margin.
The doubling of a number in a logarithmic measurement unit does not always imply an increase in quality. It is more likely that the quality will be much greater than double the number.
The Sound Pressure Level, SPL, is a measure of the loudness of a speaker. If a speaker’s volume is increased by 10 dB, the perceived volume will increase by two.
If the sound pressure level of a speaker is increased from 50dB to 60dB, the sound will appear to have doubled.
If you are shopping for a speaker, you may want to know how to increase the loudness of the speaker. Let us say you have two amplifiers; one has a power rating of 10 watts while the other is rated at 20 watts.
It appears that the second amplifier has twice the power of the first one based on the rating. On the other hand, the SPL increases by 3dB when the power is doubled.
If you want a speaker that is twice as loud as a 10-watt speaker, you need to increase the volume by 10 decibels. It is true that the second amplifier, which is a 20-watt unit, will be a bit louder than the first 10-watt amp, but it will not produce twice as much sound as the first.
The same applies to high-wattage lights. The first speaker will have twice the power of the second if you have two speakers, one 100 watts and the other 50 watts. If, however, the amplifier and speaker are doubled in power, SPL is increased only by 3dB.
How does speaker sensitivity affect wattage?
A speaker’s sensitivity influences the quality of its sound at high volumes and low power levels. The term “sensitivity” refers to the ability of a speaker to convert the electrical energy that is received into acoustic energy.
As compared to dynamic moving coil speakers found in bass amplifiers, most modern Bluetooth speakers are highly efficient. An efficient speaker should convert most of the energy into audio energy rather than heat.
A speaker with a sensitivity of 80dB at 1W/1m will be extremely sensitive. The above reading indicates that the speaker can produce 80 decibels with a power output of one watt, measured at a distance of one meter.
This is a lower number for less efficient speakers. Generally, a highly sensitive speaker will only require a small amount of power to produce a loud and clear sound.
Speakers with a reduced sensitivity or efficiency may produce a high wattage with a low volume and distorted sound. Indeed, high-power speakers may not necessarily be the best option.
How Do These Numbers Work?
You have a speaker with a sensitivity rating of 80dB at 1W/1m and a power rating of 90 watts. If you power such a speaker with 1W and measure it from one meter away, you will get 80dB.
The SPL will increase to 83dB if the speaker is powered by 2W rather than 1W. The SPL is 90dB for 10W of power, which is ten times the original power. This corresponds to a doubling of the perceived loudness.
Some speakers can handle more power than their rated capacity. It is possible to increase the SPL measure of a speaker by increasing the power going to it.
It can be seen in the example above that, double the perceived loudness of a speaker requires a significant amount of power or wattage. The wattage of a speaker can be chosen accordingly based on how loud you require it to be.
If, however, your speaker is not as sensitive, it will still produce a lower SPL measurement even at high power. You should purchase a speaker that is more sensitive if you require a speaker that operates well at low power levels.
It is possible to replace the 80dB at 1W/1m speaker with a 100dB at 1W/1m speakers. You can achieve 100dB with a speaker of 1 watt. That is higher than what the first speaker produced with 10 watts.
The Problem With Reading Power and Speaking Capacity
The wattage of the speaker is only one of the many factors to consider when purchasing one. A speaker’s power rating does not indicate whether it works continuously, on average, or at its peak.
It does not indicate how long the speaker can maintain its power and with what materials.
The power handling rating for speakers is set by various authorities. Some of these authorities include the Electronics Industries Alliance, the Audio Engineering Society, and the International Electrotechnical Commission.
Various rating standards lead to confusion among the end-user, and this is why most people do not understand the concept of wattage. Some manufacturers do not follow the standard and rate speakers based on an educated guess.
The sound produced by a 10-watt speaker is the same as that produced by a 200-watt speaker when listened to at average levels. The speaker is powered by only one watt in such cases.
If you listen to your speakers only at comfortable volumes, you never need to worry about the wattage because the amp will never use more than 20 watts. If you have a 1000-watt amplifier, you can still connect it to a 50-watt speaker, provided that the volume is not increased above the speaker’s capability.
Closing Thoughts
If the volume of the speaker needs to be increased, you will need more wattage. You do not need a high-wattage speaker if your speaker is highly sensitive. It is not enough to have a speaker that plays loud audio; it should also be clear.
You should be able to hear high-quality music at any volume with your Bluetooth speaker. The volume of the speaker will depend on the amplifier you use. Ensure that your amplifier and speaker have the same wattage.
Avoid turning the speakers all the way up if you have an amplifier with a high wattage. When you consider wattage, you must also consider durability, form factor, affordability, and the sensitivity of a speaker.
