Confusion regarding power amplifier specification

[avr]

Dear AV gurus I am looking for a 250 watt @8Ohms stereo power amplifier. I was suggested Musical Fidelity M6PRX. The technical specifications show the following detail:
Power output: 260 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms (24 dBW)
I also checked the technical specifications of Parasound Halo A21 which show the following detail:
250 watts RMS x 2, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 8 ?, all channels driven

Now looking to both the specification it is seen that the Musical Fidelity shows 24DBW in brackets.
My question is what does this mean. Is the musical fidelity at par with the parasound in wattage terms as shown above?
I am a non-technical person so kindly bear with me.
TIA
avr

 

[hydrovac]

Whats your application / load you are going to drive... any specific reason for selecting the above amp?

dBW definition:
dBW or decibel-watt is a unit of power in decibel scale, referenced to 1 watt (W).

see this:
dBW (Decibel-Watt)

 

[avr]

Sir I will connect it to my B&W 683 with this amp. which is used for HT purpose, this amp will be used for both HT and music. There is no particular reason to choose this amp. Sir as I told you I do not understand the technical specification I just want to know whether the musical fidelity is at par in terms of wattage with the parasound, given the 24DBW.
Thanks

 

[hydrovac]

I'd advise you never to choose any amp based just on its power rating 250 watts for your 90dB speakers is more than enough to bleed the ears, so forget about quantity and think about quality. Pick an amp that would have the "ease" of driving your loudspeaker at all volumes.

What was the setup when you auditioned the speakers while making purchase decision?
I was told by a dealer the 'problem' with the 683's (and with most other B&W's) is that they have huge impedance swings, the 683's, for example are rated 8 ohms, but they dip to near 3 ohms quite often in the lower regions... as long as you feed them clean, unclipped power at lower ?, they should be fine. The A21 specs seems to be good in this area.

Check the specs and ratings, to help you make better purchasing decisions... finally it's your call...

Musical Fidelity | M6PRX Power Amplifier
Product Lines > Halo > A 21 Two Channel Power Amplifier

 

[avr]

@hydrovac thank you very much for your insight. Highly appreciated.

 

[kanna.sridharan]

+1 to hydrovac

The 683's are power hungry speakers and require an amp that can tolerate the impedance drops. If your using the speakers in a HT environment, I suggest you use the foam plugs provided, which would restrict the speaker from playing really low, which may help in keeping the impedance drops to a normal level or the easiest way cross the speakers at 50-60hz. ( I maybe wrong here, but I read on another forum, a person who reviewed the 683's extensively )

Cheers!

 

[avr]

Thanks kanna the port bungs are in place and the crossover is at 60. The amp will be used both for movie and music. I just wanted to know what difference the 24 dBW makes to the wattage of the musical fidelity in comparison to other amps rated at similar wattage, like the parasound I have mentioned.
Thanks