Power needed
8.0–125 W
per channel, into 6 ohms
To hit 95 dB peaks at 3 m from a pair of MartinLogan ESL, you need at least 8.0 W a channel. Anything from about 16 W to 125 W a channel is comfortable; past that, more watts stop buying you anything.
Show the working
- 95 dB target at the seat
- +4.8 dB for 3.0 m of distance
- -3 dB for a stereo pair
- -87.8 dB effective sensitivity
- 1.2 dB taken off to convert the 6 ohm 2.83V rating to dB per watt
- 2 dB allowed for optimistic published sensitivity
- Published sensitivity 91 dB, used as 87.8 dB per watt.
PS Audio Sprout100 with the MartinLogan ESL
Excellent match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (50 W to 100 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Full PS Audio Sprout100 specs
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Clear this amp
189 integrated amplifiers suit the MartinLogan ESL
Also show the 45 we do not recommend
1
Excellent match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (55 W to 105 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
2
Excellent match
11 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (76 W to 135 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
3
Excellent match
12 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (75 W to 150 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
4
Excellent match
12 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (75 W to 150 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
5
Excellent match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (50 W to 100 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Sensible value pick against these speakers.
6
Excellent match
12 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (80 W to 150 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
7
Excellent match
9 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (40 W to 80 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
8
Excellent match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (60 W to 110 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Sensible value pick against these speakers.
9
Good match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (60 W to 90 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
10
Excellent match
13 dB of headroom, far more than needed. No harm in it.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (100 W to 200 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
11
Excellent match
13 dB of headroom, far more than needed. No harm in it.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (100 W to 200 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
12
Good match
11 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (70 W to 110 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
13
Good match
11 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (80 W to 120 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
14
Good match
11 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (75 W to 110 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
15
Good match
11 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (80 W to 120 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
16
Excellent match
12 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (75 W to 150 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Sensible value pick against these speakers.
17
Good match
9 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (50 W to 85 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
18
Good match
9 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (50 W to 75 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
19
Good match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (70 W to 100 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
20
Good match
9 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (50 W to 85 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
Showing the best 20 of 189. Narrow it with the price range below, or a different budget split.
47 power amplifiers that would also drive them
Listed separately because they are not a complete system: a power amplifier has no volume control and no inputs to speak of, so you need a preamplifier or a streaming preamp as well. Worth it if you already own one, or if you want to buy the two halves separately.
1
Good match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
No 4 ohm power rating on file, so we cannot judge current delivery.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
2
Good match
11 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
No 4 ohm power rating on file, so we cannot judge current delivery.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
3
Good match
14 dB of headroom, far more than needed. No harm in it.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (150 W to 225 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
4
Good match
11 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (70 W to 125 W).
Sensible value pick against these speakers.
5
Good match
12 dB of headroom, far more than needed. No harm in it.
Rated down to 6 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
No 4 ohm power rating on file, so we cannot judge current delivery.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
6
Good match
12 dB of headroom, far more than needed. No harm in it.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
No 4 ohm power rating on file, so we cannot judge current delivery.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
7
Good match
12 dB of headroom, far more than needed. No harm in it.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with a 6 ohm speaker.
No 4 ohm power rating on file, so we cannot judge current delivery.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
8
Good match
14 dB of headroom, far more than needed. No harm in it.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (160 W to 240 W).
Costs more than the speakers - worth it only if you plan to upgrade them later.
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Sensitivity and impedance figures are the manufacturer's own. We read sensitivity as dB at 2.83 V/1 m and take 2 dB off it, because published figures run high. Treat the result as a well-founded starting point, not a measurement. Full MartinLogan ESL specs.