To increase the speaker loudness two-fold takes ten times the power. A speaker rated at 94db will produce this level from I Watt at 1 meter's distance from the cabinet. As the sound travels away from the loudspeaker cabinet, the dB (Decibel) level also decreases. This in turn requires more power to maintain a specific dB level at a given distance from the cabinet.

Watts (Power)
The smallest increase in loudness of 3dB takes twice the power. To increase the level to seem twice as loud, you need ten times the power. If you try to sustain a given loudness within a particular room size and do not have enough power (watts), several things begin to happen within your sound system. As you use up amplifier headroom, the sense of detail in the reproduced sound will disappear. Then you may hear distortion on signal peaks - the distortion is generally easier to hear at higher frequencies, but is much more common at low (bass) frequencies. This means the amp is running short of power to send to the speakers. Allowing this state to continue will reach the third stage of failure, overt distortion followed by voice coil burnout. Many people have an amazingly high tolerance for distortion and just do not notice a problem until it is too late.

IMPORTANT NOTE
Never turn on the amplifiers (or other source units) with the level (volume) control on at any level. This could cause irreparable damage to your loudspeaker system. This is normally detected by a loud pop when the units are switched on. If this occurs with the level controls down, turn off your system immediately and consult your dealer. Never use an amplifier with a higher rating than your speaker system. This could cause damage to your speaker system. If in doubt consult your dealer. Do not use shielded or microphone cable for any speaker connection as this will not handle the amplifier load and could cause damage to the complete system.

Improper Operation
It is easy to damage loudspeakers by overdriving them. This happens when you turn the volume control up too far, causing distortion. Most failures resulting from improper operation can be traced to over or under powering the loudspeakers. When an amplifier is underrated in power and turned up too loud, it is unable to supply more clean power to the loudspeakers, resulting in a distorted signal being passed to the loudspeaker. The cones or diaphragms are then unable to produce the full excursion required to reproduce the signal they are trying to achieve. The speaker cone or diaphragm becomes unstable with no power left to propel it forward or pull it back, and heat builds up on the voice coil. Normally, this heat is dissipated through the loudspeaker's vents and by conduction along the former, aided by the motion of the whole assembly through the cooler air. Changes and gaps in the signal level provide a rest offering some brief respite to allow radiant and conductive cooling. Even a few watts of power can cause a rapid and damaging build up of heat under these conditions. A sustained level of even a few watts of distorted power is always fatal to loudspeaker components. Remember, if you are losing detail or hear distortion, TURN IT DOWN To prevent loudspeaker damage and obtain a louder sound, use more powerful amplifiers and/or more speaker cabinets. This is entirely dependent upon the level of sound desired and room size. The two possible solutions are: 1. Use a more powerful amplifier - one with a rated output that DOES NOT exceed the power rating of the speakers 2. Use more speaker cabinets - in the correct series- parallel arrangement to match the required impedance load of the amplifier.

Speaker Power Ratings
By far the most common cause of loudspeaker failure is damage to the voice coils caused by amplifier overload. Speaker damage from faulty components or manufacturing defects is very rare. The overwhelming majority of failures are due to misunderstanding the difference between loudness (decibel, dB) and the power to create it (Watts, W).