true watts

[iamamp3pimp 5,000+ posts]

ive heard this expression before, and how am i to know if the amp i plan to buy actually puts out the wattage that it says it does, and where can i get the amp tested (im in las vegas) and generally how much does it cost.

ive seen bench test printouts and feel jealous because i cant get one

lol

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[iamamp3pimp 5,000+ posts]

please can someone explain this to me

 

[marleyskater420 5,000+ posts]

What amp please.

 

[iamamp3pimp 5,000+ posts]

any amp really, i just hear people talking about true watts and it made me wonder. like the xplods, im new and i know they ****, but the higher end amps do put out waht they say. is it a matter of amps being overrated???

i remember a few years ago i bought a 1000 watt amp and that piece of crap moved my speakers less than the clock radio i had in my room (long story). id just like to know if companys overrate the power on tieir amps, and if so,m which companies are more prone to do so

and i looked on the site for a bench test printout of the jbl 1200.1.......i couldnt find that either. i dunno, mabye im just tired. set this post on fire

 

[marleyskater420 5,000+ posts]

True watts means it puts out what it says it does.

Usually Sony,Pyle,Pyramid,Legacy, and other companies, do not put out their true watts.

Usually older amps(for certain companies) are INSANLY efficient and good.

The HCCA's and XTR's are gods, and the old RF amps I have heard, are killer as well.

Some companies do not put up bench tests.

 

[ws140 10+ year member]

if you have a multi meter you just have to take a few measurements. Then it is pretty easy math from there. I did it last year but forget the formulas. Maybe someone can tell you.

 

[havoc06 10+ year member]

AC Voltage squared, divided by impedance. Then multiply that number by .707 and that should give you RMS power. Use a multimeter to find the AC voltage, but obvioulsy this requires you buying the amp first. So just read up and make sure its a good brand

 

[CELLERBR 10+ year member]

This may be really stupid but how can you measure AC voltage on a DC system???

 

[havoc06 10+ year member]

amplifier sends ac current to the speaker to make it play. Both AC and DC current exist in car audio :readytogo

 

[CELLERBR 10+ year member]

Cool so how do i measure the AC voltage???

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

These methods will get you very rough estimates at best. If you want fairly accurate results you'd need to do something like this:

http://www.eatel.net/~amptech/elecdisc/measpwr.htm

You can have it done for you for free by going to http://www.carsound.com and e-mailing one of the forum's moderators. They'll give you an 800 number to get you set up. All you have to do is pay for shipping the amp to and from their facility.