How much does RMS matter in a speaker setup?

[black hawk]

There a few 2.1 speakers from well known brands of 40W RMS and one particular model of 48W rms from a known but not a very good brand. At least as far as my experience goes with it. However, I've read RMS wattage is one spec that one should look for while checking speakers. Which one would be better?

[jabo1SFH]

rms is continuous power at a specific volume. peak watts is your max for short bursts.


basically, rms is the level of sound you feel comfortable with over a period of time.


also, if you have speakers that are separate and not from a sound bundle, make sure the ohms are all the same.

example: receiver output is 4 ohms, make sure ALL the speakers are 4 ohms.

[black hawk]

No, these are 2.1 setup, from the same brand. No desperate components. I just need to know how much does RMS factor in while choosing between speakers, given the current example.

[jabo1SFH]

is your setup for pc?

i have an old altec lansing acs33 2.1 speaker setup that i hardly use since it is on my server pc. lol.


it runs between 15-25 watts rms. and does pretty good sound wise in my 12' by 9' room. i can turn it half way and can hear it outside.

so for your situation, the 40 watt speakers should be good. personally, i would suggest that if these are for a pc setup, make sure the sub woofer has a separate power source. there are some that do use usb connections (yuk) to rely on power.

[black hawk]

No, it's a home theater setup, but a small one. I have a UST projector which has pretty good inbuilt speakers, but lacks bass. So a 2.1 setup should suffice, based on the size of the room and my present requirements.

[jabo1SFH]

Originally Posted by black hawk

No, it's a home theater setup, but a small one. I have a UST projector which has pretty good inbuilt speakers, but lacks bass. So a 2.1 setup should suffice, based on the size of the room and my present requirements.

oh, then you should be good with the 40 watt 2.1 setup to add depth to the sound.