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Sorry for the title. I can't stand puns and have NO idea why I did it. 
ops:
And warning - I'm posting this in both the B&W and Rotel forums. Sorry if you read it twice.
Since the introduction of Rotel's 1077 "digital" amplifier, I've been stressing my brain on understanding an amplifiers ability to drive a speaker. My understanding is that an amplifier my supply x watts to y ohms load with z distortion, and that as the ohms increase, the amount of watts may change. And ideally, watts should be inversely proportional to ohms (eg, 100 watts at 8 ohms = 200 watts at 4 ohms). I know more power is good and not enough power will cause "clipping" and can damage speakers.
So, I'm looking at B&W 803's (50-250 watts) and 2 different brand of amplifiers in 2 power ranges... a Classe 100 watt/ch and 200 watt/ch, a Rotel 100 watt/ch and 200 watt/ch. What I'm trying to compare/understand is the difference between 100 vs 200 watts/ch within the SAME brand. The other thing I want to understand is the differences between brands (Rotel vs Classe) within the SAME watts/ch.
So, what difference does more watts make when essentially the rest of the specifications are the same? And what difference does a higher quality amplifier make when you compare the same wattage (and more importantly, what causes it)?
ops: And warning - I'm posting this in both the B&W and Rotel forums. Sorry if you read it twice.
Since the introduction of Rotel's 1077 "digital" amplifier, I've been stressing my brain on understanding an amplifiers ability to drive a speaker. My understanding is that an amplifier my supply x watts to y ohms load with z distortion, and that as the ohms increase, the amount of watts may change. And ideally, watts should be inversely proportional to ohms (eg, 100 watts at 8 ohms = 200 watts at 4 ohms). I know more power is good and not enough power will cause "clipping" and can damage speakers.
So, I'm looking at B&W 803's (50-250 watts) and 2 different brand of amplifiers in 2 power ranges... a Classe 100 watt/ch and 200 watt/ch, a Rotel 100 watt/ch and 200 watt/ch. What I'm trying to compare/understand is the difference between 100 vs 200 watts/ch within the SAME brand. The other thing I want to understand is the differences between brands (Rotel vs Classe) within the SAME watts/ch.
So, what difference does more watts make when essentially the rest of the specifications are the same? And what difference does a higher quality amplifier make when you compare the same wattage (and more importantly, what causes it)?