Audio Systems: speaker wattage, watt speakers, coaxial speakers

Question
I've got kind of a dumb question for you. When a set of speakers say they are 400 watts,does that mean 400 watts per speaker or 400 watts for the pair. I know that is the max watts but not if it means each or per pair. Any help will be appreciated.
              Thank You
               David

Answer
David,
I believe that it depends on the manufacturer when it comes to how many watts the speakers actually are. It's one of those things where you have to look at the numbers and play it smart. If you're going to buy a pair of coaxial speakers and it says they're 200 watt speakers, chances are the speakers are only 100 watts each. But if you're buying a pair of coaxials (or components or whatnot) and it says '70W RMS', then that would be 70 watts per speaker. It's a strange thing, because companies want to advertise the biggest number they can without being a liar, so just play it smart. If the number seems to be too big for what the speakers are (i.e. 400 watts for a 2 way or 3 way component system or whatnot), then just divide the number in two and that's the RMS rating per speaker. I hope this helps. If you need any clarification please let me know.

Best Of Luck,
Alan