I thought of that but why would they rate it at minimum volume instead of max? Just doesn't make sense to me.

 

Sorry, I was just kidding about the volume ****, although it does play a factor.

The 3 watt minimum is what the output transistor will pass once it opens. If you hook up an 8 ohm speaker it better be able to handle at least 3 watts of power.

The transistor has a power rating of up to 25 watts.

The speaker has a nearly 26 watt theoretical maximum at 14.4 volts.

14.4 volts squared equals 207.36 divided by 8 ohms is 25.92 watts - so the speaker has a slight margin of error at full transistor output power of 25 watts.

 

More speakers are probably blown by being underpowered (clipping) than too much power, technically speaking.

It takes about ten times as many watts at any given level for a perceived doubling in the loudness of sound. I learned that the hard way. I remember as a kid saving up money to buy a 40 watt amplifier to replace the 20 watt receiver I had. "Boy", I thought, "this is gonna be great!!" Double the power, so Twice as Loud! Man, I was pissed. Dad laughed his *** off, because he hated all that BS us kids played anyway.