measuring amp power
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=36989
Printed Date: May 02, 2024 at 7:06 PM
Topic: measuring amp power
Posted By: tylertime
Subject: measuring amp power
Date Posted: August 07, 2004 at 11:41 PM
i've read in magazines that amplifiers put out a certain amout of volts...and that in turn is translated into wattage how do i measure the output of my amplifier to see how much it puts out i know its rated at 12v (not 14.4 not 13.8) and it makes sure to say exactly that so i'm wondering what it puts out at those voltages, how do i measure??
Replies:
Posted By: T.Hill
Date Posted: August 07, 2004 at 11:45 PM
try a search on this site for your subject line. I've seen this subject come up a bunch of times before. good luck.
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Posted By: xtreamcc
Date Posted: August 07, 2004 at 11:47 PM
ok theres a little formula that shows exactly what an amplifier can actually put out, and this uses the laws of physics so some company that says their amps push 1000 watts, might be lying.
It goes like this
Watts = Volts*Ampers
Simple as that. So lets say ur system operates at a standard 14.4 volts, ur amp has a 30A fuse, it can then only push a maximum of 432 watts. The actual capabilties of an amplifier are also determined by the load presented. For instance, and amp that can push 400 watts to a 4 Ohm load will not be able to push 400 watts to an 8 Ohm load, it will be able to push only 200 watts. On the other hand if it is 2 Ohm stable it will theoretically be pushing upwards of 800 watts to a 2ohm load, this will vary as Ohm loads vary event in standard rated speakers. Anyway, the basic w=v*a is the most simple and effective way to figure out how much power ur amp can actually push.
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Posted By: tylertime
Date Posted: August 07, 2004 at 11:57 PM
ok thanks thats what i thought.... but when i do that i get somethiing like 300w my amp is supposed to be 150 rms will the rms simply be half of what it says?? thats whats threw me off the w=v*a formula my amp is a jl audio e4300 and it says to set it up to 24.6v dc while using a sine wave at 3/4 deck volume i'm guessing they wnt you dto do this with the car not running (12.6v) and also.. when i read a mag like PASmag it mentions large jumps from 12 to 14 volts that do not follow the basic formula, so i was wondering if there is another way!!
Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: August 08, 2004 at 12:00 AM
Your amplifier is rated conservatively, which indicates that it is a quality brand. By that, you can pretty well be assured that the amp is providing the power it claims. If you are asking because you want to find the power output while your car is running, at say, 13.6 volts, there is no easy way to know this. I have asked this myself and found that there is only one way to determine an amp's power output. And you will have to take it to the bench and have some equipment on hand to do the measuring. bcae.com has a good tutorial you can use. ------------- Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.
Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: August 08, 2004 at 12:03 AM
Okay, just read your last post. You are referring to setting the gain. The instructions tell you to measure for output voltage using a digital multimeter. That's AC volts, not DC.
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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.
Posted By: tylertime
Date Posted: August 08, 2004 at 12:07 AM
yea sorry its AC not DC
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