Hey guys,
So ive been thinkin about this. What exactly is CEA compliant. and whats the difference betweent a company that lists its ratings with or without the CEA compliancy. I have a Kenwood amp rated at 200 watts at 4 ohms...and 400 at 4ohms...but it doesnt say CEA compliant...could these figures be way off..??
also, anyone have a suggestion for an efficient amp that gives me about 300watts or more rms at 2 ohms? For around 200 bucks would be nice...
Replies (5)
MrBrownstone on 11/5/2007 16:14:06
CEA has set up some standards on rating your system. For example, an amplifier company can rate their amplifier at 200Wx2...but without using a reference point, we don't know at what level of
Distortion (THD %)
Power Source (12V, 12.5V, 14.4V, etc)
Impedance (1ohm, 2ohms, 4ohms)
It's a standard way to compare apples to apples as many loosely regulated amplifiers can put out significantly less power at 12V than at 14.4 volts. Because of this, for marketing purposes, a company could rate their amplifier at 100Wx4 @14Vwhen really it puts out 79Wx4 at 12.5V...which is more liike real life as our car audio system would typically not have much more than 12.5V actual power available to it under standard electrical system operation.
Ash on 11/5/2007 21:06:12
CEA should scale all amp ratings to 12.5 to make an even playing field. Even though it is better now than what it was, still some companies choose the 14.4 rating that allows them to give higher power readings. That's just not realistic like Mr. B says. A lot of consumers still cannot discern the difference.
I do tell you this though, if it's not CEA rated, then you might not want to buy it.
ttocs on 11/6/2007 16:02:39
CEA does give a voltage input I thought....
some amps have what they call an unregulated power supply which means the more voltage you put in the amp, the more power you get out.
Ash on 11/6/2007 17:02:42
It does, but at 14.4, which is not a real figure in my books.
ttocs on 11/7/2007 10:25:10
Since I put in the digital voltage gauge I have been suprised how often I get over 14V since I am running underdrive pullies on my stang. It seems that once the alt heats up it gets less efficient as after 30-45 mins it can dip below 12 at a light with my lights on.
I am planning on getting a high output alt before I put both of my amps in.
So ive been thinkin about this. What exactly is CEA compliant. and whats the difference betweent a company that lists its ratings with or without the CEA compliancy. I have a Kenwood amp rated at 200 watts at 4 ohms...and 400 at 4ohms...but it doesnt say CEA compliant...could these figures be way off..??
also, anyone have a suggestion for an efficient amp that gives me about 300watts or more rms at 2 ohms? For around 200 bucks would be nice...
Replies (5)
MrBrownstone on 11/5/2007 16:14:06
CEA has set up some standards on rating your system. For example, an amplifier company can rate their amplifier at 200Wx2...but without using a reference point, we don't know at what level of
Distortion (THD %)
Power Source (12V, 12.5V, 14.4V, etc)
Impedance (1ohm, 2ohms, 4ohms)
It's a standard way to compare apples to apples as many loosely regulated amplifiers can put out significantly less power at 12V than at 14.4 volts. Because of this, for marketing purposes, a company could rate their amplifier at 100Wx4 @14Vwhen really it puts out 79Wx4 at 12.5V...which is more liike real life as our car audio system would typically not have much more than 12.5V actual power available to it under standard electrical system operation.
Ash on 11/5/2007 21:06:12
CEA should scale all amp ratings to 12.5 to make an even playing field. Even though it is better now than what it was, still some companies choose the 14.4 rating that allows them to give higher power readings. That's just not realistic like Mr. B says. A lot of consumers still cannot discern the difference.
I do tell you this though, if it's not CEA rated, then you might not want to buy it.
ttocs on 11/6/2007 16:02:39
CEA does give a voltage input I thought....
some amps have what they call an unregulated power supply which means the more voltage you put in the amp, the more power you get out.
Ash on 11/6/2007 17:02:42
It does, but at 14.4, which is not a real figure in my books.
ttocs on 11/7/2007 10:25:10
Since I put in the digital voltage gauge I have been suprised how often I get over 14V since I am running underdrive pullies on my stang. It seems that once the alt heats up it gets less efficient as after 30-45 mins it can dip below 12 at a light with my lights on.
I am planning on getting a high output alt before I put both of my amps in.
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