tsv_1 - You're pickin' up what I'm puttin' down.
Basically, my question was geared to figure out how much watts total AND per channel is my "average" listening consuming. The point of it all for me is so that I can better understand how much amplification I need.
The ultimate goal being do I need a 500watts per channel amp or should I spend my money on a lower powered tube etc.
- I am 11 feet from the speaker
- My front speakers were corrected by MCACC to -3dB for front right and -3.5dB for front left (let's just call them both -3dB) to have a reference level of 105dB at my listening position.
- Reference being "0"
- My crossover to sub is at 80
The question is:
Roughly how much power am I consuming at my listening position with the volume set to -26dB AND how much power am I consuming at 105dB (reference) so that I can have enough overhead to cover the swings.
Does that make more sense?
Frankly, I don't think it's worth sweating over. Any deep analysis is subject to too many variables.
Given fairly decent speaker efficiency of 90dB, and given the average listening levels you seem to normally enjoy (which are probably around or below 1 watt per channel based on the data provided), and given that you need 10 times the power to get twice the loudness (because human hearing is essentially logarithmic), and given that it's late and I'm ready for beddy... I'm gonna say you would be absolutely fine with 120W/ch in your system - assuming you have solid amplification that truly delivers undistorted 120W/ch power upon peak demand.
This will provide you with 4X perceived loudness during peaks - relative to your average listening level, plus a little extra headroom on top of that. Frankly, I just don't think you need much more. Few people really do. Also, most people use a powered subwoofer as well which significantly helps to offload your 5.1 or 7.1 amplification requirements.
Now, if your system looks, feels, and smells like an IMAX theater, then you may want a few more electrons flowing... but my guess is your room is probably more livingroomish in size, so we're likely in the right ballpark, er, livingroom.
Now, folks can (and probably will) argue this opinion because hey, that's what makes forums fun... and you are certainly free to completely dismiss my input (Lord knows it won't be the first time).
Cheers and good luck with your system... and most of all, have fun!