Amplifier Power Pull

[kronik 10+ year member]

Does an amp pull it's RMS regardless of whether it is hooked up or not? As in, if I get a 1000W 4-ch amp and only use 2-ch, will it still pull it's wattage.. I assume so. In addition to that, say I use a smaller gauge cable; will the power be split evenly across the channels or spent on the ones that will actually use it?

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[Shyne151 10+ year member]

If you bridge two channels and two channels, then yes it will put out what it would in four channels. If you use two channels and leave two channels unused then it will put half of what it would useing all four channles. And I"m lost on the whole cable size question.

 

[kronik 10+ year member]

If you bridge two channels and two channels, then yes it will put out what it would in four channels. If you use two channels and leave two channels unused then it will put half of what it would useing all four channles. And I"m lost on the whole cable size question.

Perhaps I wasn't clear. I'm aware that it will output a max amount per channel unless I bridge.. what I meant was, will it pull the same amperage even if it's only using a max of 500w? I'm assuming so but I dunno.

The cable size question: if I have to use 4AWG to carry 1000W, if I use 8AWG (I won't, this is an example) will it pull less from the charging system?

 

[jujumantb 10+ year member]

The cable size question: if I have to use 4AWG to carry 1000W, if I use 8AWG (I won't, this is an example) will it pull less from the charging system?

I dont understand your other question but I can answer this one...

no, it will pull basically the same amount as with 4 guage. Not a good idea of course because this will create alot of heat and possibly set the wire on fire if you tried to draw enough current through it.

 

[johnecon2001 5,000+ posts]

Perhaps I wasn't clear. I'm aware that it will output a max amount per channel unless I bridge.. what I meant was, will it pull the same amperage even if it's only using a max of 500w? I'm assuming so but I dunno.
The cable size question: if I have to use 4AWG to carry 1000W, if I use 8AWG (I won't, this is an example) will it pull less from the charging system?

watts / volts = amps.

So if you draw less watts, then the amperage will be different. I believe that amps with a regulated power supply can draw a constant, but there are very few of these and the price tag climbs significantly. So assuming your electrical system has a 14.4v charging capacity then 1000w/14.4v = 69.44A. Where 500w/14.4v = 34.72.

The size of the cable can limit the power available to the amp. Although if you over draw a cable, most likely what will happen is an electrical fire or you pop the fuse.