![]() ![]() A max power rating generally indicates the maximum amount of power that can be safely sustained without resulting in failure. Many manufacturers also use a maximum (max) power rating. There is no clear definition of what peak is or how long this level can be sustained, but it's usually very short. The same holds true for speakers – peak power handling is the absolute highest amount of voltage that speaker can handle for a split second without blowing. To put it into layman's terms, peak power is the absolute highest amount of voltage the amplifier can put out before failing – and usually this peak wattage can only be sustained a fraction of a second before causing catastrophic failure of the amplifier. ![]() RMS, on the other hand, is an acronym for Root-Mean-Square and is essentially the average effective value of the waveform. Often times this peak value lasts only a fraction of a second. The peak power rating is literally the "peak" of the waveform on the oscilloscope – the maximum voltage that the waveform will ever reach. Looking at the graph above, the red line represents the sound waves at various watts. RMS Watts is the continuous power output of an amplifier or power handling of a speaker To help you understand this, we've created a very simplified graph that represents sound as viewed as a waveform on an oscilloscope. Well, we'll explain in a minute.įirst, in order to understand the differences between "RMS watts," "peak watts" and "max watts," we need to first break down what these terms mean. You might be scratching your head wondering what these terms mean. If you look closely at the back of the box, you'll likely see that both products are actually rated the same: 100 watts peak / 50 watts RMS. At first glance, you might be thinking, "Product A is better because is advertised at 100 watts, while Product B only has only 50 watts." Upon closer inspection, you'll notice that Product A is advertising "peak" watts, while Product B is advertising "RMS" watts. Most people generally shop for amplifiers and speakers simply by looking at which one has the highest power rating, because everybody has heard "the higher the watts, the louder the sound."īut if you take a closer look at the products when shopping around, you'll notice that some manufacturers rate their products' power capabilities with "peak" watts, and some use "RMS" watts. Companies constantly advertise that their speakers can handle 200 watts or that their amplifier puts out 1,000+ watts. In the car audio and consumer electronics world, you hear a lot about watts, power output and power handling. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |