I dictate, from my punch 100.2 amp's instructions

Mono into a 4 ohm load = 400 watts

Per channel into a 2 ohm load = 200 watts

Per channel into a 4 ohm load = 120 watts.

So, what wattage is my amp when it's just running a single sub?

There's more:

RMS per channel - both into a 4 ohm load from 20 - 20000 HZ = 50 watts

RMS per channel - both into a 2 ohm load from 20 - 20000 HZ = 100 watts

RMS mono - both into a 4 ohm load from 20 - 20000 HZ = 200 watts

So - which power rating is the amp's spec designated from? :confused:

Are you running your amp in bridged mode?

IE have you connected your sub across just either the L or the R channel, or is it across both?

I dictate' date=' from my punch 100.2 amp's instructions

Mono into a 4 ohm load = 400 watts

Per channel into a 2 ohm load = 200 watts

Per channel into a 4 ohm load = 120 watts.

So, what wattage is my amp when it's just running a single sub?

There's more:

RMS per channel - both into a 4 ohm load from 20 - 20000 HZ = 50 watts

RMS per channel - both into a 2 ohm load from 20 - 20000 HZ = 100 watts

RMS mono - both into a 4 ohm load from 20 - 20000 HZ = 200 watts

So - which power rating is the amp's spec designated from? :confused:[/quote']

The .2 tells the number of channels, and the 100 says what the max RMS wattage is per channel at it's lowest stable ohm load.

So you have a 2-channel amp capable of driving a couple of 2 ohm speakers at 100W RMS.

You should always compare amps with their RMS rating, which is what RF do. That kind of shows what their kit is really capable of doing. A lot of manufacturers say "Our super duper amp gives you 1000W of Power!" but it could be a cheap and nasty one only giving you 1000W for a fraction of a second. These max ratings are also refered to as PMPO - Peak Maximum Power Output. RMS is more of a sustained power capability. For example, a lot of head units say 4x50 Watts, but that's maximum power. Their sustained RMS power capabilities lie around the 10-15W, which is a lot less!

I've found the power ratings really confusing sometimes because they just don't say whether they're quoting max wattage or RMS wattage. Although I'd guess that if they don't specify, it's probably max wattage as those figures sound more impressive.

:rant:

Sorry there, I digressed a little into a rant. Whoops. :1:

[note to self]Must stay calm and not get irritated when shopping ICE kit on ebay[/note to self]

edited for clarification

WARNING :rant:

Hmmm, most people get this wrong RMS is not actually correct (allthough most advertisers / publications use it to refer to average power output), but as I trained as an electronics engineer for 3 years before geinto computers we know it's actually wrong. Another wrong is people quoting PMPO as a power rating, PMPO actually has very little to do with the power output of the amp. Always try get an amp that quotes average power output (or as lots of people call it RMS which is actually the square root of the time average of the square of the instantaneous power, but that is just a technicality). PMPO is just a useless measurement, as it could be obtained by driving the equipment passed it's 'normal' operating loads (ie causes distortion) as all they are measuring is the point in time peak of power.

However all that is academic as all the manufacturers measure there amps in different ways (i.e some with all channels driven, some with one, some with 2) so the best way to test an amp is on how good it sounds!

Anyhow, I shall now shut up.... It's just one of those 'little' things cause when you understand how True RMS is calculated and what it means you would know how silly it sounds saying that an amp is 80W RMS

I totally agree Ashleigh.

I just didn't want to get into the technicalities, and bore people with power theory (I did a 4 yr electronic engineering degree )

If you want to judge how good an amp really is, no figures can really tell you how much enjoyment you'll get out of it - the only way to really know is to try it out.

For example, I have an Audison LR52 amp. Very small, and *only 100W RMS bridged into 1 channel*. I'll prolly use that for my sub, although a purist may say it's sacriledge

Like I say it's just one of those 'little' things, they wind me up

But like I was trying to say, if it sounds good with the rest of your equipment then that's all that really matters

But like I was trying to say, if it sounds good with the rest of your equipment then that's all that really matters

Exactly! The only people bothered by numbers rather than real performance are accountants and Scooby drivers...

Rob.

After some careful thought, and the realisation I'll be spending about

(I was going to compare it to a 1.6 ambiente' date=' but quickly changed my mind. :p)

[/quote']

Don't make me he-bitch man-slap you... :p

Rob.