Bench Testing an Amp

[Heresy 10+ year member]

Just like the title suggests, what do you need to bench test an amp and how do you do it?

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[nick3470 10+ year member]

take it to a stereo shop, they should have all the equiptment

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

Yep, like Jmac says. The hard part is comming up with load resistors that'll handle the power. I have a set of 50 watt 4 ohm jobbies that are perfect for checking HU outputs.

 

[jlaine 10+ year member]

Yep, like Jmac says. The hard part is comming up with load resistors that'll handle the power. I have a set of 50 watt 4 ohm jobbies that are perfect for checking HU outputs.

I use a 6 1/2 HP 120V motor myself.

Nice inductive 2 ohm load.

And no noise, and no heat to deal with.

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

I use a 6 1/2 HP 120V motor myself.
Nice inductive 2 ohm load.

And no noise, and no heat to deal with.

Seems to me the inductance would make impedance calculations very frequency dependant. Got an LCR bridge?

 

[jlaine 10+ year member]

Seems to me the inductance would make impedance calculations very frequency dependant. Got an LCR bridge?

Not at all, impedance at a stable working frequency can be accurately cross-calculated with the appropriate meters.

Just know E and I.

 

[Heresy 10+ year member]

Will these ways work if I was say testing a EQ D3 or some other high power amp at full tilt?

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

The power calculations work for any amp. The key things to keep in mind are that you need a fixed load resistor and a power source that can handle the power you're trying to measure.