A watt is a watt is a watt!!!!!!!!
11-17-2004, 08:58 PM
#13
50 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 117
When I'm looking at amp's...The first thing I look at is the RMS...and then the Damping factor.....Peak watts don't mean anything to me...
another very simple way to views amps is what they cost..., a 200rms amp for $400 is much better than a 400peak amp for $200 or heck even $400.
I'm been told, the greater the damping rate, the more it can "control" the sub...pushing it in and out.....also the more subs it can control (is this true?)
what does the Slew rate mean...for ex: >50V/ms...Volts/milli second?...as a reference
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...731728713&rd=1
yet another way is just view the Freq Range....instead of the 20 to 20 (20Hz - 20KHz)...PPI's impressive 4.5Hz-100KHz..looks like it's bettre...even though us Humans, can only feel something that low, and can't hear anything near that high...
another very simple way to views amps is what they cost..., a 200rms amp for $400 is much better than a 400peak amp for $200 or heck even $400.
I'm been told, the greater the damping rate, the more it can "control" the sub...pushing it in and out.....also the more subs it can control (is this true?)
what does the Slew rate mean...for ex: >50V/ms...Volts/milli second?...as a reference
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...731728713&rd=1
yet another way is just view the Freq Range....instead of the 20 to 20 (20Hz - 20KHz)...PPI's impressive 4.5Hz-100KHz..looks like it's bettre...even though us Humans, can only feel something that low, and can't hear anything near that high...
11-17-2004, 09:31 PM
#15
Guest
Posts: n/a
^ Well the theory goes like this. If you make a product that performs in a certain range it rarely performs linearly within that range - usually at the extremes of the range the performance will drop off. In our case we can look at an amp advertised for 20-20000hz +/- 3db. Chances are the response will be down by the 3db at 20hz and at 20,000hz.
Now if you make an amp with a range from your example, 4.5-100,000hz +/-3db the odds that in the same 20-20,000hz range we looked at for the other amp, this one will have flatter response. Modern amps are pretty tight across the audible spectrum so this is not a very important spec all that often.
A basic way to look at slew rate is how fast the amp can change the output compared to a change in input. If a sudden transient comes along that requires 50volts higher output than the current state an amp with a slew rate of 50V/ms will take 1ms to ramp up to that level. If the transient is only 0.5ms long then the amp never gets to the full output of the transient and can sound dull. Not usually a big issue for a modern amp.
I have yet to see a car amplifier with a damping factor that wasn't far higher than acceptable.
Now if you make an amp with a range from your example, 4.5-100,000hz +/-3db the odds that in the same 20-20,000hz range we looked at for the other amp, this one will have flatter response. Modern amps are pretty tight across the audible spectrum so this is not a very important spec all that often.
A basic way to look at slew rate is how fast the amp can change the output compared to a change in input. If a sudden transient comes along that requires 50volts higher output than the current state an amp with a slew rate of 50V/ms will take 1ms to ramp up to that level. If the transient is only 0.5ms long then the amp never gets to the full output of the transient and can sound dull. Not usually a big issue for a modern amp.
I have yet to see a car amplifier with a damping factor that wasn't far higher than acceptable.
11-17-2004, 10:23 PM
#16
i do recall reading an article that proved (at least on paper) something to the effect that damping factors in the tripple digits are farily useless (not negative, but not audible either)...someone correct me if i'm wrong
11-17-2004, 11:29 PM
#17
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally posted by Dukk:
In reality - the number of watts you have is irrelevant. You either have enough or you do not.
In reality - the number of watts you have is irrelevant. You either have enough or you do not.
11-18-2004, 04:18 AM
#18
2000 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,417
ahah yeah I know someone who is like " My subs are 1200 watt's peak" I keep tellin the douche you want rms not peak, peak kinda means nothing to you. Yet to this I think he still goes by peak on everything I guess it makes his stuff seem bigger/better [img]graemlins/dunno.gif[/img]
11-18-2004, 08:31 AM
#19
500 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 870
Those aren't Watts!!! Those are W's
And W's are only meaningful if you are driving a lightbulb!
RMS at the frequency you are using it for, with no more than x% distortion, into the load used is the only way to define your power.
And on another rant...why don't speakers come with distortion specs?
The old Altec Lansings used to claim 1% at 1 Watt, and they were IMHO one of the nicest sounding speakers I've ever used....Too bad their factory burned down!
[ November 18, 2004, 09:32 AM: Message edited by: Car Trek ]
And W's are only meaningful if you are driving a lightbulb!
RMS at the frequency you are using it for, with no more than x% distortion, into the load used is the only way to define your power.
And on another rant...why don't speakers come with distortion specs?
The old Altec Lansings used to claim 1% at 1 Watt, and they were IMHO one of the nicest sounding speakers I've ever used....Too bad their factory burned down!
[ November 18, 2004, 09:32 AM: Message edited by: Car Trek ]
