Is this normal?

[z33redlinez33 10+ year member]

I have an Eclipse EA4100 4 channel amp and running an active setup..

Was setting gains using a DMM and noticed that my front right produces less power than the front left speaker output...

For example,

Front right: 15.8V = 62.4 watts at 4ohms

Front left says: 17.3V = 74.8 watts at 4ohms

Is this normal? The rear arent this way.... I understand different channels can be slightly different, but 1.5V at this low of voltage is alot!.....

I know its the amp because I switched the RCAs around it it does the same thing....

Would you guys consider this bad enough to either have it repaired or buy another amp?

Thanks for any advice

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[KyleBechtold 5,000+ posts]

are the gains setup per side or front / back.. I say switch it up use the back channels for the front and front channels for the back.. switch the rca plugs so the front signal now goes to the back channels..

then the slight diffence will be in the back so its no biggie.. send the weaker one to the back Left(if you are facing forwards) and the stronger to the back right its farther from you so now it will be heard equally

 

[z33redlinez33 10+ year member]

I can control the gains for front/back not left/right. But technically the *back is my tweeters, so that option does not work.... (running active setup)....

 

[Ge0 10+ year member]

I have an Eclipse EA4100 4 channel amp and running an active setup..

Was setting gains using a DMM and noticed that my front right produces less power than the front left speaker output...

For example,

Front right: 15.8V = 62.4 watts at 4ohms

Front left says: 17.3V = 74.8 watts at 4ohms

Is this normal? The rear arent this way.... I understand different channels can be slightly different, but 1.5V at this low of voltage is alot!.....

I know its the amp because I switched the RCAs around it it does the same thing....

Would you guys consider this bad enough to either have it repaired or buy another amp?

Thanks for any advice

Actually this is quite normal. Especially for amps that share a common potentiometer bank between left and right channels. The important question is "do you hear a significant difference in output"? I imagine not.

That's only a 6% difference from channel to channel. It is ratiometric - meaning as your volume (power level) drops the percentage stays the same.

Remember, it takes 10X the power to realize a 2X difference in apparent loudness. That silly 12W or so difference at the 160W level ain't gonna be squat.

Ge0

 

[z33redlinez33 10+ year member]

12watt difference at a 70 watt level. Was curious if it warrants as a defect and I should try to get it fixed, or if I should live with it.

Seems like its not that important then.....

 

[Ge0 10+ year member]

12watt difference at a 70 watt level. Was curious if it warrants as a defect and I should try to get it fixed, or if I should live with it.
Seems like its not that important then.....

Opps, missed the 60 - 70 W, not 160 to 170W.

A 12W difference is 17%. IMHO this is still nothing I would get my panties in a bunch over. However, if it bugs you then it is easy enough to correct. That is assuming you're willing to pop the cover off the amp, pull the tweeker knob, manually rotate the gain pots back into alignment, then put things back together. This should take no more than 1/2 an hour.

 

[z33redlinez33 10+ year member]

Ok thanks...........

 

[boomzilla 10+ year member]

I just got a used Zapco i-2100, and the channels are doing this to me also. It's a 2 channel running some RSD's, and the left side is very weak compared to the right. I hook up the right side and it totally drowns out the left. I switched speaker wires/ rca's and it is in fact the amp. Is there any reason why? I only have one gain for both channels, can anyone help?