Watts → Loudness

How loud is louder? Spoiler: doubling watts is only +3dB. Here's the real math.

Your rig

Amp power (W)

Sensitivity (dB@1W/1m)

Distance (m)

Speaker sensitivity is on its spec sheet (typical guitar speakers ~96–100 dB). SPL at distance assumes free field (−6 dB per doubling of distance).

—

estimated SPL at the listener

To get noticeably louder

Change	Power needed	Sounds…

Perceived "twice as loud" ≈ +10 dB, which takes 10× the power. That's why a 100W amp is only a hair louder than a 50W one — and why speaker choice (sensitivity) beats chasing wattage.

Compare two amps

Amp A (W)

Amp B (W)