Power for Line Arrays

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
probably a simple question, but hey I'm a simple guy.

If I'm using sixteen drivers (wired series and parallel to get an 8ohm load) for a line array, and the power recommendations for each individual driver is 20 watts @ 8 ohms, do I need 320 watts of amplification @ 8 ohms to drive them properly?

Thanks in advance for the help.
 
hi, it was thought that years ago if you use a lower powered amp then you couldnt (in theory) blow the speakers as the amp was smaller, but if the amp is too small and you over drive the amp it will start to clip, sending DC voltage to the speaker, this can seriously damage the speaker, so i would say get the biggest amp you can afford or have the space for, even if its alot more powerful than the speakers as the amp will b driven less, and you can always add some more speakers in the future, hope that helps. joe
 
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.