CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[perisoft]

So, we all know that audio gear makers will play fast and loose with wattage specs - specifying peak power instead of RMS, using too-high THD numbers to inflate power output numbers... I recently saw a no-brand 12" car subwoofer advertised as 400 watts... 40 RMS. Yikes.

But this is indeed a new low. Behold, the Coby 2.1 Home Theater In A Box:



...That looks like a fine piece of equipment, doesn't it? Now, one could argue both that you get what you pay for and that you get what you deserve if you buy your home theater setup in a supermarket. Those things may be true, but they don't excuse this:



Check out the specs. 75 watts... at ten percent THD! Hot damn, gentlemen - I think we have a winner! As an exercise for the reader, anyone want to do the math to find out what the power rating would be at a sane THD level? You better hope you have a scientific calculator...

[David_Web]

I don't need a calculator to know that any 'sane' levels from these are at 0W. Peak and RMS.

It's beyond me that people don't use headphones instead of these crap systems. It's better that one person can enjoy good sound than none.

[cmjohnson]

As far as I'm concerned, the FTC should establish some definite regulations on consumer (and professional) audio equipment.

Those regulations should be set at, for example, amplifier output to be specified at the 1 percent THD point when operating into a 4 ohm load, and speaker power capacity to be measured at the middle frequency range of each driver in the system at the 1 dB compression point.

Frequency response should also be specified at the -1 dB and -3dB points.

The problem is that Bose would bitch since many of their products never fall BELOW 1 percent THD. ;D


And, all FTC-defined specifications should be required to be published for the equipment. Compliance should be mandatory.



I for one can't stand crap equipment, either. But then again, my headphones cost more than some people will invest in their entire
home audio system. I don't expect everyone to have my standards.


However, all equipment ratings should be reported honestly under uniform conditions.

CJ

[Curt Palme]

THe sad thing is, these misrepresented specs are rampant in the pro industry as well. I called out Crown about 10 years ago at a NAMM show for stating that an amp plugged into an 1800 watt 15 amp outlet could put 1000 watts per channel into a speaker.

The sales rep was honest about it 'yes, that's not the RMS rating', but claimed (correctly IMHO) that Crown would lose sales if they stuck with the RMS rating as compared to other manufacturers like QSC that went with peak ratings.

I remember trying to sell an amp to a rave DJ back in 1994, who claimed that he was buying an amp with the highest power rating, screw any other spec. I gave up.

[Curt Palme]

THe sad thing is, these misrepresented specs are rampant in the pro industry as well. I called out Crown about 10 years ago at a NAMM show for stating that an amp plugged into an 1800 watt 15 amp outlet could put 1000 watts per channel into a speaker.

The sales rep was honest about it 'yes, that's not the RMS rating', but claimed (correctly IMHO) that Crown would lose sales if they stuck with the RMS rating as compared to other manufacturers like QSC that went with peak ratings.

I remember trying to sell an amp to a rave DJ back in 1994, who claimed that he was buying an amp with the highest power rating, screw any other spec. I gave up.