RMS is not a unit of measurement!

[CrossoverOre 10+ year member]

fu ck it. lets just start using horsepower instead. I've got about 2.7 hp in the trunk. **** it

 

[GAMEOVERCCA 10+ year member]

lol@rms

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

so you want the entire car audio world to stop using the RMS term just because you do not like it when others do not understand it........well then........poof.......done!!!

If I can educate a few people I've done something to remove some of the ignorance surrounding this hobby.

fu ck it. lets just start using horsepower instead. I've got about 2.7 hp in the trunk. **** it

Horsepower is a legitimate unit of power. Would you say 2.7hp RMS though?

 

[CrossoverOre 10+ year member]

horsepower is like rms where it is not a specific unit of measure without first acknowledging the context.

Horsepower - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

I don't get why guys have to get so worked up over a couple of misused terms. If it helps the novices get a grasp of a concept, why the hell not let them use it? Because you couldn't stand reading a bunch of technically incorrect terms being used among the less knowledgeable so it had to be preached to the masses of CarAudio.com? I mean of all places, seriously?

This.

OP I'm not sure where you've been for last 5 years but ca.com isn't exactly full of engineers. The average user on this board has absolutely no formal education on electrical terms so expecting them to go out and research units of measurement before they ask a question is idiotic. You know the meaning, good for you. Don't belittle others because they don't. If you can't do what Keep_Hope_Alive said and read the real question through the misused terms then don't help them. Simple as that.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I must say I'm thrilled at how many people are so offended that I'm trying to actually educate people about correct terminology.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

I must say I'm thrilled at how many people are so offended that I'm trying to actually educate people about correct terminology.

Idk man, you seem to be the only one upset about anything.

 

[BoomTaco64]

I must say I'm thrilled at how many people are so offended that I'm trying to actually educate people about correct terminology.

you need to learn more about what you are trying to "teach" people. you will not change they way power is represented/understood in the car audio industry then and now. There is more to what the definitions are that what you understand them to be. i am not saying that i do understand any better than you but you are not "teaching" anything. you need to explain why you think the term should not be used and then provide actual reasoning behind in. then explain why you think a different term should be used, if any, then support your findings.

Right from your source:

"The term "RMS power" is sometimes used in the audio industry as a synonym for "mean power" or "average power" (it is proportional to the square of the RMS voltage or RMS current in a resistive load). For a discussion of audio power measurements and their shortcomings, see Audio power."

Now read this:

Audio power - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

RMS has been around car audio way before you were even a thought in your parrents mind and will continue to be in the industry until you are long gone and everyone forgets about you. best bet is to drop what you are trying to "teach" and just accept the way things are and keep your own visions to your self. Its not people getting offended its just others that do not want others to tell them what to say, what terms to use. what is this N. Korea? who are you Kim Jong II? What term would you use then?

I'd challenge you do define "peak" watts.

Peak:

"Peak power is the maximum level of power output that is measured during an observation period. Peak power here refers to the maximum amount of power an electronic component can possibly handle for an instant without damage. Because of the highly dynamic nature of many audio signals (e.g., music, which accounts for an alternative name, music power) there is some sense in attempting to characterize the ability of equipment to handle quickly changing power levels. But, how small an instant is a matter of some variation from observer to observer and so a peak power rating is necessarily more than a little indeterminate.

It always produces a higher value than the continuous ("RMS") figure, however, and so has been tempting to use in advertising. Generally, whatever the definition of instant used, distortion is also higher for an instant. For instance, an amplifier (especially a surround sound receiver), may be rated at 1,000 watts peak power, but the harmonic distortion level might be 10 percent under those conditions. Peak power is also referred to as max power or PMPO (Peak Music Power Output).[2] It is often five or six times greater than the continuous ("RMS") rating.[citation needed]

Ambiguity: Among amplifiers, the peak power rating is fairly ambiguous as it varies depending on "acceptable" maximum harmonic distortion.[citation needed] For example, the peak power output rating of surround sound receivers is often taken at 10 percent THD.[citation needed] The highest generally acceptable level of total harmonic distortion is considered to be 0.1%. Hence, two max power output ratings are sometimes provided, one at 0.1% THD, and another at 10% THD.[citation needed]"...Taken from the Wikipedia page Audio Power.

 

[Jepalan]

what is this N. Korea? who are you Kim Jong II? What term would you use then?

Re: reference to totalitarian dictatorships...

Seems that Godwin's Law is about to hold true yet again. (Google it if you don't know)

Re: What term to use. In the context of Car Audio...

When talking about AC power measurements & ratings, we *should* use "watts RMS" or "RMS watts".

When talking about AC voltage measurements we *should* use "volts RMS" or "RMS volts".

When talking about AC current measurements, we *should* use "amps RMS" or "RMS amps".

Just because we *should* use these terms, it doesn't mean we *have* to use them.

The OP is *technically* correct. That said, everyone is free to use correct terminology or not. There is no argument against the technical correctness of "RMS" not being a "unit of measurement". There are only *opinions* about the OP's method of "teaching" and others' reactions to his assertiveness.

There is nothing else useful to learn from this "discussion" - it will digress into a combination of flame sparring, ego posturing, and useless platitudes.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/peace.gif.2db28b618ed8d1964ebbe2f5021d2c39.gif

PS: while we are at it, BoomTaco64 might want to Google "Dunning–Kruger effect"

 

[jrdnhsnbrg 10+ year member]

I have a 12RMS battery, what will I meter?

 

[Jepalan]

I have a 12RMS battery, what will I meter?

7 dog-years

 

[jrdnhsnbrg 10+ year member]

7 doge-years

 

[CrossoverOre 10+ year member]

are communist's considered nazi's?

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

RMS has been around car audio way before you were even a thought in your parrents mind

Actually AFAIK I was alive before the first car amplifier was released.

But sure there's been plenty of ********, mythology, and misinformation circulating around this hobby since the get go. I guess we should just learn to embrace ignorance and misinformation instead of try to correct it and inform. I think I made my case in this thread already.

 

[CrossoverOre 10+ year member]

speaker wattage ratings have been in vehicles well before amplifiers came into the picture so rms probably has been around in cars longer than you have been on the planet. (I'm assuming you are younger than 70) But since you are older than the first car amp I can understand why you get sick and tired. My parents get sick and tired easier these days too.