Are Amps RMS ratings at 14.4V ?

[Cpita]

Just wondering, some do not say and others specify@ 14.4V

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[Boomsday 10+ year member]

Depends on the company

 

[FamousMassacre 10+ year member]

I think DD rates at 12v

 

[Side Show 10+ year member]

a lot of older amps are rated at 12v....... & most the new ones will actually say what they were tested at. some even say at 12v, 13.8v, 16v ect

 

[neo_styles 10+ year member]

Depends on the company

^^This. And ignore that CEA-compliant logo they slap on some equipment. It's essentially meaningless. Smart companies will offer you power ratings at 12 and 14V

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

Depends on the company

x3

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

most good companies will state what they rate their amps at as well as the THD they rate them at.

Matt

 

[argenis69 10+ year member]

I believe that the ones that don't specifically state the voltage it was measured in, I think it's measured at 14.4v or even higher(meaning that your voltage has to be more than perfect to put out what they say it does).

 

[basswiigee]

I been seeing alot of 13.8's lately!!!!

 

[MXcarAudio]

i try to go by the fuse rating, which is not 100% accurate but sometimes can be close enough, and minus %20 efficiency

 

[neo_styles 10+ year member]

i try to go by the fuse rating, which is not 100% accurate but sometimes can be close enough, and minus %20 efficiency

Then I hope you never have to judge power rating by a Zed amplifier then. You'd never be able to believe it does 1.5K on 40A of fusing.

 

[MXcarAudio]

Then I hope you never have to judge power rating by a Zed amplifier then. You'd never be able to believe it does 1.5K on 40A of fusing.

that baffles me

 

[neo_styles 10+ year member]

that baffles me

Comes down to a lot more than what fusing is needed to protect the amp. There's a great writeup in the Zed manuals about how amp fusing ended up becoming a marketing technique for a lot of companies as well as some other industry myths. Definitely worth a read

 

[SounDrive Pro Seller]

Then I hope you never have to judge power rating by a Zed amplifier then. You'd never be able to believe it does 1.5K on 40A of fusing.

My M3a has a 250a fuse rating but T-Fade clamped one putting out 3900 rising to 1 ohm dropping to 11.2v.. Of course that will be lower at 1 ohm nominal, but still, it's super efficient. MMATs and Zed (like you mentioned) along with several others are in the same boat.

To help others understand... Music will draw much less current than a sine wave. Also, a fuse can take around 1.5x of it's rating for short bursts. Fuses rarely pop on quick bass hits.