amplifiers

[jonny]

I have a 1200 watt amp and im looking to see how much its pushin? how do i find out? Ultimate make it, are they a good amp

[rockford fosgat]

i heard there junk from the guy at happy ear but what does he know?

[AustinKP]

Where did you buy it and how much did you pay for it? Less than $300 and it's probably 1200W peak. Look for an RMS wattage number in the manual, or on the company's website. RMS, or true output power, is generally around half of the max wattage, so you're probably pushing around 5-600 watts.
-Austin

[PoweredByMAZDA!]

Think about it....the amp can only allow for so much current coming in, and this current comes in at a pretty much constant voltage pressure.. somewhere between 12 and 14 volts usually. You take the sum total of the fuse current (the number on the fuse) and you multiply that by about 14 (for 14 volts)...Because current times voltage equals power (watts) So if the amp has a pair of 20 amp fuses (a total of 40 amps) you multiply 40X14=560. But this is usually the peak power of the amp..To get the rms you should devide this number by about 2. so 560/2 =280....
Its not exactly true but mathematically speaking it makes sense. It should give you a pretty close number to what the amp really does. Like take one of my mtx pro150.2 blue thunder amps for example. The fuses on them are 2 30 amp fuses on each amp. This calculates out to 420W rms by the method i just gave you. The born at slip on my amps said a total of 440W so thats pretty close (PS im talking about 2 ohm power here..4 ohm power is about half of 2 ohm...)

[PoweredByDodge]

Not so true...

Fuse ratings are deceiving.

Input current * Input voltage = total power CONSUMPTION... not the power output.

A true tube amp would give you about 30% efficiency... a class AB solid state amp will give you about 65 - 70% efficiency ... and a class D may give you about 85 or more ...

so lets say its a "good" class AB solid state... then power output = (0.75) * Input Current * Input Voltage

As far as peak versus RMS - that's an invalid arguement as well... Time is always a factor - RMS power accounts for a more realistic measurement, it's closer to average power. Average power yields a solid description of the "area under the curve", so to speak, of the output. It is this measurement that will reflect nominal input current to the amplifier.

So when you say that you're drawing 100 amps of current into the amplifier - at 14 volts ... and that's 1400 watts... well thats not 1400 watts peak out of the amp... its more like a maximum of 1400 watts average power (assuming a 100% efficient amplifier) out.

So... if its your average amp, you're looking at 0.75 * 1400 = 1050 watts average power.


that's more or less going backwards, but it is correct.


never judge an amplifier based upon its fuse rating. it's the trademark of a circuit city salesman... (i'm gonna take shit for that...)

[Aussie_Austin]

Hi mates! I am Aussie Austin from the DOWN UNDER!!! Will you all be my mates? AustinKP already is :D ! Join me in the DOWN UNDER because I am the THUNDER FROM THE DOWN UNDER!

[neomagus00]

man, why did i have to be the one on the boards when this dude started up... now i have to police him...

austin doesn't know this guy even exists, so please don't feel obliged to ignore him in addition to this guy...

oh, and the thunder from down under? that's the name of an all-male performing troupe in las vegas...

[Aussie_Austin]

why the bitter words mate? Oh and you would know about the Las Vegas male stripper thing...you naughty mate.......

[MacLeod]

Hmmmm....I sense a deception taking place.

Grammer is too good for Ronald so.......

[Aussie_Austin]

whoa mate....take it easy

[neomagus00]

well, what pissed ronny off last time? ripping on his car, right? hey aussieman, what kinda car do you drive?

oh, and all i did was run a google for 'thunder from down under', that's what popped up.