Hello, dear readers of our reactive magazine :) Today we will talk about watts in amplifiers. How many do you need, how much is enough, and what could be too much? How do you know if your amp will be enough to play with a drummer in the same room? We will try to answer these questions, and also explain what is the difference between power (W) and loudness (dB). You will probably be surprised to learn about the difference between 30W and 100W amplifiers. So, let's look inside the guitar amplifier and figure out how many watts you still need.
The first thing to do is learn the basics. We will use two basic concepts in what follows: output power (measured in watts) and loudness (measured in decibels).
Watt is a unit of measurement that characterizes power. Watt = voltage in volts times current in amps. That's all (of course, greatly simplified).
All guitar amplifiers differ in their power, classified according to it. However, let's figure out what the dog is rummaging about here and why watts are not as important as we think.
Decibels (dB, db) is the ratio between two power levels. This is a very general unit of measurement that describes loudness, and many different parameters can be characterized using decibels. It is important to remember that a decibel is one tenth of a bela. A whole bel is usually 2 times louder for most people. So, to compare two different audio sources, we use the following formula:
P1
10 x log ———
P2
Here P1 and P2 denote the output power of two different sources. For the purity of the experiment, it is important that the load for both amplifiers is the same. So 30 watts into an 8 ohm cabinet is not the same as 30 watts into a 16 ohm cabinet. So let's take and compare 2 amplifiers in the same conditions. Let's take a 50W head and 30W.
First we divide 30 by 50, we get 0.6. The logarithm of 0.6 is 0.222. We multiply this figure by 10 and get 2.22 dB. So the 50W amp is only 2.22dB louder than the 30W amp. 3 dB for the human ear is a rather difficult difference.
So, the conclusion: the power, increased by 2 times, gives a difference of 3 dB. A 3 dB difference is hard to hear for the average person.
For more fun, let's compare the Fender Deluxe Reverb with a rated output of 22W and the Marshall Super Lead 100W, respectively. We all know that Marshall is louder, but using the formula, it turns out that it is only 6.576 dB louder.
10dB is a loudness figure for most people, meaning source 1 is twice as loud as source 2. In our case Marshall is not 2 times louder than Deluxe. Surprised?
0 dB difference = same power
So, the difference between Marshall and Deluxe in power is more than 2 times, and the real increase in volume is less than 2 times.
To get an amp that's louder than our Marshall, we'll need a 1000W amp. Really cool?
Now let's take a look at decibels to finally put some order in this chaos of numbers. A great sign from www.gcaudio.com gives a good starting point.
Quietest sound a human can hear 0dB
Rock concerts are usually held at a level of 110 to 140 dB.
So that 6.576 difference between marshall and fender seems to be quite nominal now. For human hearing, the difference in volume between these amplifiers will be barely perceptible.
How to choose an amplifier? How many watts?
Let's move on from all this technical writing to the practical part. Let's talk about amplifiers. Recently, a lot of low-power amplifiers have begun to appear, and there is an explanation for this. Let's face it, few of us perform regularly in front of venues of 5,000 or more. Rather, it doesn't show up at all. Add to this the trend of music moving from large halls to small chamber club settings with a more intimate atmosphere. All this directly affects the requirements of professional musicians to their equipment.
If you're playing in a 100-man club with a 100-watt Mesa Boogie stack, you're more likely to be looked at as an idiot or a show-off. In fact, most 15W amps will be VERY loud under these conditions. More is not needed.
So why are these 100-200 watt heads still being produced?
Firstly, in the early days of rock music, speakers were far from the quality that we have now. They didn't reproduce sound in a decent way. A 100 watt amplifier was in many cases needed on stage in order to drive directly into a large hall and sound the room directly.
Secondly, an important parameter is volume and purity of sound. A 15W amplifier and a 30W amplifier will be almost the same in terms of volume. The difference between them is 3 dB. But a 15 watt amp will start to overdrive before 30 watts.
For those who use overdrive in the amp and control the sound with the volume knob on the guitar, a 15 watt amp will be enough for just about any room, and for some, too loud. The 8W combo is ideal for the guitarist who works with the volume control. It's loud enough to play at a level with a drummer, and if you're playing in a big hall, the amp will still be muted anyway. So there is no point in carrying your half-stack with you.
For those who play with a clean sound and use pedals for overdrive, 30 watts is the preferred option. 50 watts will be more than enough, often more than 30 is not needed. Try taking the VOX AC30 and cranking it up to a volume where it starts to overdrive. Yes, it sounds great, but it's fucking loud!
It makes sense to understand in detail the possibilities of the club where you are going to perform. If the equipment is in perfect order there, they know how much power they need, the size of the amplifiers they need. If the club only has acoustics for vocals and a couple of microphones, bring your rehearsal equipment with you.
If the club has a full PA system with mics and all instruments muted, chances are the sound engineer will ask you to turn down your combo to get a more balanced sound from the main speakers.
Have you ever been to a gig where the amp is muted and the guitarist still turns it up to its fullest? This is not only uncomfortable for 40 people in front of the stage, but the overall mix ends up being unbalanced. And if you walk around the hall, you will hear that in some places the guitar is there and too loud, while in others it disappears.
The simplest rule I've learned from live performances is to set up a sound that you like and is loud enough that you can play standing right in front of the amplifier, and leave it that way. If the hall is too big, let the microphones fix it. Any experienced sound engineer will be able to put into your monitor the mix you need to play comfortably, so there's no point in making someone's ears bleed.
This low-power trend has another side to the coin. The guitar icons we all know are mostly left over from the 60s and 70s. As we have already figured out, then amplifiers on stage were needed for a completely different purpose. We all love that sound of a tube amp overdriven at its limits. However, today it has already become bad manners to twist the Marshall stack. People shy away from the stage, cover their ears with their hands, and after this you may not be invited to clubs again.
Low-powered amps and heads allow for quicker overload if we need it, while still keeping the sound at a comfortable volume level for you and your band and your audience and sound engineer. If the volume is not enough, the sound engineer can always make it louder by his own means. You don't have to be the loudest musician on stage. Leave it to the drummers :)
Another important point that I would like to highlight in this long article. Most low power amps come in 1x12" formats, and even if that's loud enough, it still lacks the pressure and volume of a 4x12" cabinet. If you want your little amp to sound bigger, louder and more spacious, connect another cabinet to it. A well-made 2×12" cab will make an overly thin-sounding amp really shine. More cabinet volume and an extra speaker will give you the punch that guitarists always want to hear.
If you're still unsure about this, keep your 100W head off, but try this. Go to your local store and take any low power tube amp and plug it into a 4x12" cabinet. Amplifiers like the Vox AC4TVH or Z.Vex Nano Head are perfect. Set the AC4 to 1W and turn it all the way up. You'll be surprised how how quickly the salesman will come running to you asking you to turn it down.And also, I think you will be surprised at how good the guitar will sound.
I hope this article has helped you dispel a few myths about amplifier power. The next time you see a small tube amp, you won't be snorting and smiling sweetly, like "not enough for gigs". Everything is relative. Turn this combo up louder and enjoy the way the lamps sound. That's what a real guitar sound is!