JAIMECBR900

I see a ton of posts from people asking for and talking about "power" as if that's the most important thing about a sound system. I feel compelled to write something to try and get people back to asking the right questions.

"Power" ratings are very much a myth. Some people understand it, most don't. Power ratings on amps are usually the source of much debate. Some manufacturers rate their amps as 1000 watts...at 16v, at ..25 ohm, for a nanosecond, with 20% THD, and a dead short across the terminals!!! What I'm saying is that some manufacturers, usually the cheaper brands, are very liberal in their ratings. Bottomline is that they may use standardized terms, but use very unconventional testing methods to get their numbers in order to publish. This is why you hear some old timers refer to some KNOWN big power makers as benchmarks. BTW, peak watts is not RMS watts. Peak watts usually refers to something like the example I was exaggerating about above. RMS is continuous power. Real power.

Now, spkrs....similar things apply. Spkr ratings should be used as a way to gauge a spkrs construction or in order to build correct enclosures. People should not pay so much attention to just the power handling. It should be used as a guide and not the gospel. In other words, People shouldn't ask "what 500 watt amp do I use for my 500 watt spkrs?". That's focusing on the wrong thing. I've heard a 200 watt GOOD and correctly installed amp sound better than a CHEAP 500 watt amp.

Installation, correct enclosure, and proper tuning go substantially further than does raw power. Unless you are building an SPL only car, power should not be your focus.

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

preach on. but as long as people research before they buy car audio, they should know this. unfortunately, the 1st time around people usually dont.

kgb006

True that

Most reputable companies such as JL audio rate their amps in rms watts.