THD vs Damping
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=75798
Printed Date: May 13, 2024 at 9:42 PM
Topic: THD vs Damping
Posted By: jquest03
Subject: THD vs Damping
Date Posted: April 06, 2006 at 6:46 PM
What is more important when it comes to the performance of the amplifier....THD or Damping? Reason i ask this is b/c i am looking into the Arc line of amps and they have damping factors of 2000...the sales person told me that this is way more important than THD b/c you can not hear the difference of .1% THD vs. .005%THD. Also, does this have a huge affect on SPL.. thanks
Replies:
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: April 06, 2006 at 7:01 PM
THD. Damping factor may or may not have any effect on anything audible. Indeed, many engineers feel so-called damping factor is not important in any way to the sound, SPL, frequency response or time decay factors of a system. I for one have never heard any differences in any system that can be attributed to damping factor. THD is by far much more critical. ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: jquest03
Date Posted: April 06, 2006 at 7:36 PM
Well since you are not trying to sell me anything then i will believe you. I don't know why so many local shop owners (here in my city) insist on lying about so many things just to get ur sale. Don't they udnerstand that one bad experience has 10 times more of an affect then 1 good experience? Anyway, what specs on the amp should i consider most (other than RMS)?
Posted By: jquest03
Date Posted: April 06, 2006 at 7:38 PM
If damping does not have much audible effect, then why post this on specs? I guess what im asking is waht can be gained from knowing the damping factor?
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: April 06, 2006 at 8:12 PM
The most important specs on an amplifier, in my opinion, are Frequency response, THD, S/N ratio, and efficiency. Power ratings are nice but only if they are CEA rated. Damping factor should be 50 or greater, but there is no significant reason for it to be higher. HERE's a good read about damping factor. ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: jquest03
Date Posted: April 06, 2006 at 8:43 PM
That article was a bit over my head...but i understood the conclusions the author was trying to draw. This leads to my next question. When looking at an amplifer (using those 4 specs) what would you like those numbers be when u are buying an amp for yourself? Frequency Response, S/N, THD, and efficiency. And what amps fit that profile?
Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: April 06, 2006 at 9:02 PM
Your best bet is to go through the high end amps and look at their ratings. What you see is what you get, as they are more likely than the lower end brands to publish true specs. Make a note of any that may have unordinary specs in those four categories, and then do some research into user and professional opinions on the amp in question. You have categorized yourself as a high-end shopper, so take it to the next level. Reliance on specs alone will not net you the gold. ------------- 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: jquest03
Date Posted: April 06, 2006 at 9:03 PM
Dyohn- sorry if i am sounding as if i want you to give me all the answers and me not do any research on the matter myself. The fact is i've spent more time on car audio then i have at my college. I just would like to hear a professional's opinion that isn't trying to sell me something.
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: April 06, 2006 at 9:13 PM
Steve's advice is good, but I'll try to give you an answer. You want the frequency response to be wide, the efficiency and S/N ratio to be high, the THD to be low. :) No, I am not trying to avoid giving you a straight answer with numbers, I am merely trying to give you a starting point for comparing amplifier specs. The bottom line is how it SOUNDS. I've heard some amps with 60db S/N (which is really low) and 5% THD (which is really high) sound better than another amps with far better specifications. It depends on the application and many other factors than just what's on paper. To really compare amps (or source units or speakers or anything else IMO) you have to actually listen to it (and run your own tests.) If comparing two amplifiers and listening to them is impossible, I always opt for 1) name brand that I trust, 2) best on-paper specs as described above, 3) best power rating for my purposes, 4) lowest price. ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: jquest03
Date Posted: April 06, 2006 at 9:19 PM
Thank you for both of your inputs. Finding high end equipment here is almost impossible, and actually having it demo'd is unheard of. You would think with a city of 1.5 million people there would be a shop that offers higher end equipment. GO COLTS,
Posted By: oreo lover
Date Posted: April 06, 2006 at 11:55 PM
How you rate the specs of this amp to be as a Sub amp? PrecisionPower PCX 2400 PowerClass Amp
Channel: 2
4 ohm: 400
2 ohm: 800
Bridged: 1600
Damping: >500
S/N Ratio: >115dB
Dimension: 2.375" x 10"
Length: 30.25"
THD: 02%
Power Input: 4 Guage
Freq. Resp.: 4.5-100k
I/P Sens.: .15-12V
X/O Slope: 12dB
X/O Freq.: 30Hz-4kHz
X/O Type: 2 way
Input Type: Adv. Inst.
Cooling Fan: Yes
QBass: QBass™ Plus
Posted By: sprawl85
Date Posted: April 07, 2006 at 1:48 AM
lol, i just lived in indy for a year and a half. Garbage ass town if you ask me. I moved back to central illinois. It isn't really a big city, it is more of a lot of little towns all balled into one. I don't like racing either, so that didn't appeal to me.
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fiberglass reminds me of peanut brittle... but fiberglass tastes better!
Posted By: jquest03
Date Posted: April 07, 2006 at 7:54 AM
Indianapolis is a CITY...not a town. I've been all over the country numerous times and there is no better place to live then in Geist (a suburb of Indianapolis-the city!). Well maybe Lake Havasu, AZ! but neway, the females are beautiful, the discretionary income is rediculous. I mean the average house sells for over $1 million--which for a mid-western state will buy you a huge house and nice property. But the rest of Indianapolis does not have much to offer--so you are somewhat right sprawl. What part of Indy did you live?
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