Is it bad to provide excess wattage to speakers

[irsninja]

If I have speakers rated for 20-100W and I hook it up to lets say a 150W per channel amp, is it bad for the speakers? I'm obviously not going to crank it, I'm just looking to understand the relationship between: power consumed/provided by amp, listening volume, and speaker wattage rating. Is 66% cranked on the speaker equal to 100w per channel?

 

[clutchc]

That is fine. The only time the amp will put out that much power is when it is at full volume. If your speakers begin to distort the sound, you'll know you are getting out of range. I don't think you can rely on a linear equation for the volume output to power.

 

[thee_prisoner]

Speakers draw what power they need. As long as the amp is of decent quality, it won't harm the speakers. Any good amp should shut down if it's clipping. Clipping means if it's being overdriven. In your case that shouldn't be a problem.

It would help if you post the brand and models of the speakers and amp to get a better idea, but most likely you're safe.

Happy listening, the Prisoner...