voltage

[jesuspunk25 10+ year member]

why do some manufacturers list amps' power at 14v and some at 12v? how do I test to see what my voltage is, or is stock electrical 12v? big 3 help with that at all? sorry for the questions.

Click to read more...

 

[jacka 10+ year member]

use a multimeter and match the + and - from the the prongs to the battery posts to check your system's voltage.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

why do some manufacturers list amps' power at 14v and some at 12v?

Because there is no set standard in the realm of audio, and the automotive enviornment can see voltages of anywhere from ~12V to ~14.4V, depending on whether or not the car is running and at what voltage the alternator outputs while the car is running.

how do I test to see what my voltage is, or is stock electrical 12v?

With the car off, the voltage will be right around 12V since that's what the battery is.

But with the car running, it will vary depending on the type of vehicle. Some are 13.8V, some are 14.4V, etc.

As was mentioned though, you can use a DMM to measure. Test it both with the car off and the car running to see the differences.

big 3 help with that at all?

The Big 3 helps more with keeping the voltage steady than actually raising the voltage. Under periods of heavy current draw you will see less of a drop in voltage.