Confused about dB's, Sensitivity....

[RGA]

Yes 1 watt will achieve 90db at 1 meter away. Most people listen 2-3 meters back and you can roughly subtract 3db with each meter.

Basically if you are seated 3 meters back you'd need about 4-10 watts to get 90db at your listening position. This is a gross generalization and depends on how big your room is and the type of speaker.

This is why the 10 Watt Sugden A21 sold from 1968-1989 and then when speakers became hard to drive Sugden used new better heat handling parts to increase the pure class A solid state amp to 25 Watts which quite happily drive the Totem Arro's 4ohm 86db sensitive at quite solid volume levels.

Watts are the biggest crapola spec on the market especially when the Sugden has bass control and depth with speakers that my old 125Watt Pioneer Elite Reciever would flab up and just plain suck the life out of music.

[poneal]

Well stated RGA! I get chagrined when people post that they need 200+ watts because it just dont play loud enough. I'm pretty sure if they use all that power on a regular basis they are having hearing loss.