Whats with all the underrated amps?

[prototype561 10+ year member]

I'm not trying to be disrespectful or stir anything up but why are all the companies coming out with all there amps really underrated? Its like I saying i have 1000 watt rms amp that puts out 1500 watts rms, and better yet 1700 rms on a good electrical, so why not call the amp 1500 - 1700 rms, instead of 1000. Its like u know what the amp was design to do so why not just call it that in the beginning lol?//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif IDK, i might be talking crazy but it seems like a catchy marketing strategy!//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif whats your thought on this?

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[dB-r 10+ year member]

Music is defined (to me and most anyway) as a sine wave. Power ratings should be done "unclipped" if you ask me. I have found that most decent amps will do their rated power output, but with not a regard to whether the signal is clipping or not. I think buying an amplifier that is underrated gives you more power in an "unclipped" signal, which is considered more musical. Clipping of the signal to the speakers sounds bad, and is hard on the speaker and the amplifier.

you could have:

amp a: rated 1000 watts @ 1 ohm

amp b: rated 1500 watts @ 1 ohm

amp c: rated 800 watts @ 1 ohm

If they are all identical inside, just different ratings on the outside, when you go to purchase a loudspeaker to use with the amp, you buy one according to the power ratings on the amplifier.... Amp a, while it may produce 1000 watts of power exactly, may not do it unclipped into a 1 ohm load. The power meter's don't count "off" for the clipping of the signal, I think they just add it to the THD rating.

Amp a produces 800 watts unclipped into 1 ohm. So if you would have known this from the beginning and just got a 800 watt speaker you would be fine. Amp b you get all dissapointed when it doesn't push your 1500 watt speaker good, amp c everything comes out just right, 800 watts unclipped power @ 1 ohm into an 800 watt speaker, even though with some large degree of distortion and clipping it will do 1000 watts, you can't count that extra power, it's distortion.

 

[prototype561 10+ year member]

ok i kinda understood that, but that still goes back to my original point, if all extra power is not good clean power why not just limit the amp from producing all the extra power. Like i seen 800 watt rms amp with 160 amps worth of fuses, shouldn't it be around 80-100 amps?

 

[FatPat*da*Ratt 10+ year member]

there are many amps over rated as well....

 

[blazeplacid 10+ year member]

any name brand amp is underrated.

They have to make atleast rated power

such as a Rockford amp thats rated at 100x4

it will do probably 125rms...will you notice the 25 rms, no

some companies back in the day used to under rate amps because there were wattage classes

such as

100-500

500-1000

lets say you have an amp rated at 75rmsx1, but in reality its a 26" long X 14" wide amp that really puts out 1200rms. Well you'd have the advantage cuz your amp is supposda be 75rms

 

[skylineTT 10+ year member]

i buy way powerful amps and use them for subs that arent meant for the power to be safe.. just keep the gains down and youll get all you need and itll be unclipped.

 

[bones22 5,000+ posts]

if you have a problem with good amps that give more power than rated then stick with shit brands that are way over rated

 

[power-fanatic07 5,000+ posts]

if you have a problem with good amps that give more power than rated then stick with shit brands that are way over rated

ftw

 

[dB-r 10+ year member]

if you have a problem with good amps that give more power than rated then stick with shit brands that are way over rated

LOL. FTW

 

[prototype561 10+ year member]

if you have a problem with good amps that give more power than rated then stick with shit brands that are way over rated

ok i get the point, i will stick to shit brands lol, just trying to get some clarification:verymad:

 

[jdawg 5,000+ posts]

its marketing, the rate it at 2000w and it puts out 2300 and everyone is like omfg, this is the king of amps, and people buy them up, on the other hand people say this amp is shit cause it does 100w less than rated, look at the power you are paying for

 

[quins90lac 10+ year member]

kind off the wall but the sound stream pcx2000d is that an under rated or an over rated amp

 

[mrezstreet 10+ year member]

The soundstream I have played with will do rated at 14.4v

 

[cleansoundzz 10+ year member]

if you have a problem with good amps that give more power than rated then stick with shit brands that are way over rated

X2

 

[corrie32 10+ year member]

it's marketing, to get peoples money. companies knows that. that's why they over-rate and under-rate their amps, Why not underrated an 300 watt amp by 200 watts and charge double, instead of calling it what it is, 500 watt amps, why? they know not many people would but it. A watt is a watt no matter how much u pay for it, it nerver changes. Then most would say you're paying for quality, build quality, well that's in the eyes of the beholder, I have 2 lanzar vibes 1200 d's that i've had for **** near 10 years, in my daily driver with no problems,. and I paid 200 each, many people don't even keep cars that long,companies love peoples that are stuck on stupid for paying double for the same watts.THAT'll Y THEY UNDER_RATE AND OVER_RATE AMPS