Is Your Amp Loud Enough?

July 26, 2016

Written by PGS staff
There are some common misconceptions out there in guitarland about amps
specifically about wattage, volume, headroom, decibels and whatever else. Sometimes
you think you need two full stacks to get the stage volume you think you want, but in
reality, you need a 40-watt combo. Sometimes you think you want a low-watt amp that
will break up and provide the perfect tone, but youre not going to hear it over your
drummer and his Neil-Peart-tribute-kit with three bass drums and a gong. Today, were
looking at your amp to learn a little about the overall volume and its contributing
factors so you can make sure your rig is truly right for you.

How Loud is Loud?

Were all musicians. Hopefully were all aware of decibelsspecifically in protecting
our ears from high levels of them! Decibels, or dB, are the measurement used to identify
the volume or intensity of a sound. Like the Richter scale, each increase in dBs is not a
linear increase but rather a logarithmic increase. 10dB is considered ten times more
powerful than 0dB, and to the human ear, a 10dB difference is heard as twice as loud.
This means if youve got one amp pumping out 100dB and another pumping out 110dB
(which is close to being 1,000,000,000,000 times as powerful as the smallest audible
sound!), the first amp is going to sound like it has half the volume of the second. (Public
Service Announcement: we would like to remind you that exposure to levels above
85dB can cause hearing loss, so take it seriously!)

Watt Do You Mean?!

Part of the equation that helps create an amps volume capability is its wattage. We all
throw around the terminology: things like, that dude has a 100- watt half stack! and I
bought a little five-watt combo for the housemy wife was complaining about my
Rockerverb! So what IS wattage? While decibels are a measurement of volume, watts
are a measurement of energy or in this case, electrical power. Like decibels, watts are
not linearly comparable from a volume perspectivea 100-watt Rockerverb has twice
the power of a 50-watt Rockerverb, but not twice the volume. Theres only about a 3dB
difference between the 50- and 100-watt amps (assuming the speakers are identical;
more on that in a bit), which means you may notice a difference in their volume
capability, but an amp thats twice as powerful will not be heard, nor perceived, as
twice as loud, and as we all knowperception is reality.

Speakers of the House

Your amps speaker (or speakers) is another crucial piece in how loud your amp will be
heard or perceived. Speakers have a decibel sensitivity specification, which is a measure
of the combination of power input and sound output. Most manufacturers provide this
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spec in dB at 1w/1m, which is decibels produced per watt measured at one meter from
the speaker on its axis. For speakers, the required power level doubles for each 3dB
difference, meaning to get a 97dB speaker as loud as a100dB speaker, the 97dB speaker
will need double the power. Essentially, the higher the sensitivity rating, the more
efficient the speaker is at converting power input to sound output. A higher-efficiency
speaker, when used in a lower-wattage amp can be a very, very powerful thingand a
higher wattage amp with a low-efficiency speaker can be, well, underwhelming.

Getting It Just Right

The most important question to ask in terms of finding the right amp is: What are you
going to be using it for?! The amp market has been recently flooded with a ton of lowwattage amps that are perfect for home use or small, intimate club gigs; in the right
situations (and with the right mics), these amps can work for a slightly larger gig, but
once theres a drummer involved, you likely want to move into the 2040-watt range,
especially if youre hoping to retain any clean headroom. For full-on club gigs or
outdoor gigs, youll likely want to clear the 40-watt bar and have an amp or two that is
in the 4050-watt range, just to make sure you dont lose any punch (everything sounds
different outdoors, where there are fewer if any reflective surfaces like walls to
retain/reflect the soundwaves). When youre playing Coachella, go ahead and get that
wall of 100-watt Rockerverbs. Remember to consider the amps wattage along with the
speakers efficiency rating in terms of figuring out what is going to provide the proper
volume to you in whatever application youll be running it in. We all want to be able to
hear you, but not be overwhelmed with you (Im talking to you over there on stage right
they guy who always sneaks over and bumps up your master volume after the sound
engineer has everyones levels set; you know who you are).
As always, happy hunting!