Most music asks an amplifier for only a few watts—until it suddenly doesn’t.

A musical peak 10 decibels above the average level requires ten times the power. A 20-decibel peak requires one hundred times as much.

Music has terrible manners. It whispers, then kicks in the door.

This creates one of those arguments we audiophiles love: should we care most about the quality of the first watt or the reserve power waiting behind it?

Of course it all matters, but let's take a look at that first watt, something we focused heavily on in the PMG Signature amplifier series.

The first watt matters because that is where the amplifier spends most of its life. Noise, low-level linearity, crossover behavior, and the ability to preserve tiny dynamic changes all show up there. If the first watt loses texture and space, another two hundred watts won’t put them back.

But reserve power also matters because music refuses to stay put. A piano strike, drum hit, or orchestral crescendo can demand a burst of current far beyond the average level. When the amplifier runs out of room, the peak clips and the performance hardens.

So this isn’t a choice between delicacy and muscle.

A great amplifier keeps the character of its first watt when the hundredth arrives.

The first watt tells us how the amplifier sounds.

The rest tell us whether it can keep its composure.