14.4...why not 13.8?

[pioneerpimp 5,000+ posts]

I see most amps are rated at 14.4V, which my electrical mainly sits at, give or take .2 V in each direction. also i notice some amps are rated @ 16, or 18V. but my main discussion here is 14.4 vs 13.8. i see orion 2500Ds are rated 2500@ 1 @ 13.8, same with stetsom, and some other amps as well. but them most kickers, atomics, hifonics, and alot of other amps, do their power at 14.4. what makes the difference in making an amp do its power at 13.8V to 14.4V? why cant all manufactures make their amps do power at 13.8, cus isnt that always better? i havent found a time where that isnt better, so then when resting at 14.4V with an amp rated at 13.8, youre getting a couple extra hundred watts. i just want to discuss why manufactures cant make all amps at 13.8, does it cost more money to do or what. im hoping jacob from sundown comes in here, and may some other top guys to explain. im not trying to claim one is better than the other, jus wondering why the difference.

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[Papermaker85 5,000+ posts]

1 the industry is going to shit because everyone rates there stuff at 14.4... 2 most good amps are rated @ 14.4(for instance y RD 1750s do almost 1600 @ 12 volts) but yeat it rated @ 14.4 for 1750 and it run @ .25 mono putting out over 2000 @ 13.5...(with rise abut .8 ohm). just stick to good bands that are known for good products and don't worry about it. often a few hundred watts doesn't have enough output increase to be noticed...

 

[BassAddictJ 5,000+ posts]

shit i remember years ago when i got into car audio and a few companies still rated at 12.5v

industry is going to shit,and companies are savingmoney by useing less quality parts and just rating them at a high input voltage.

 

[BassAddictJ 5,000+ posts]

shit i remember years ago when i got into car audio and a few companies still rated at 12.5v

industry is going to shit,and companies are savingmoney by useing less quality parts and just rating them at a high inout voltage.

 

[bumpin buick 5,000+ posts]

yeah, i think some companies just cheap out (sorry if thats to harsh of a word for people who own these amps)but they just rate at a higher voltage so the amp really doesnt have to be as powerful or built as well which in turn saves the company money

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

I dont know how the industry is going to shit. Spec standardization is on the rise. Who cares if everyone rates at 14.4, so long as everyone does.

 

[luvinthebass 5,000+ posts]

shit i remember years ago when i got into car audio and a few companies still rated at 12.5v

industry is going to shit,and companies are savingmoney by useing less quality parts and just rating them at a high inout voltage.

yeah me too, it was mtx amps i remember lookin at them in crutchfield magazine i wanna say the year 2003 that then the next years they all have them at 14.4

 

[mdillon 10+ year member]

I dont know how the industry is going to shit. Spec standardization is on the rise. Who cares if everyone rates at 14.4, so long as everyone does.

x2

why cant everyone agree to use the same specs?

 

[luvinthebass 5,000+ posts]

or use the CEA true power ratings for ALL amps. would make amp shoppin a hell of a lot easier.

 

[Thedeadly1 10+ year member]

my zed amp is 150 x2 @ 4 ohms @ 12.5 volts //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Atimm693 10+ year member]

Its marketing, the more power your amp is supposed to make, the more it should cost, therefore more money for the manufacturer.

 

[pioneerpimp 5,000+ posts]

im not upset or anything, im just wondering why they do it.i guess better marketing could be one. but wouldnt the more known name brands rather do that, to make their amps look better, i mean maybe a couple extra watts doesnt matter, but i feel like im getting away with something if my amp is rated at 13.8 and im sitting at 14.4 on my volt meter.

 

[sundownz Pro Seller]

Easy. The same amp will do more power at 14.4 volts and since most cars charge around there they can get away with listing the higher number and still be "legit." That is pretty much the only reason they publish 14.4v ratings, they are higher and that tends to sell more amps.

 

[pioneerpimp 5,000+ posts]

Yea that actually makes a lot of sense. That's a good explanation.

 

[nauc 10+ year member]

got a ?

when someone says their amp does, say 500 watts at 14.4v with .05% thd, did they get 500 watts right before clipping and checked to see how much thd there was and thats how they came up with .05% thd

or do they pick out a % of thd, say .02 and see how much power the amp puts out at 14.4v with that .02% thd

lost ya, didnt i?