CEA RATED

 

Silver Member
Username: 420alldaylong

Post Number: 217
Registered: Sep-06
Doesn't mean sh!t.
 

Gold Member
Username: Ctmike

Ct.

Post Number: 1814
Registered: Feb-06
point of this is what exactly??
 

Silver Member
Username: 420alldaylong

Post Number: 218
Registered: Sep-06
People think just because it says CEA rated that it's a good amp.
 

Gold Member
Username: Chaunb3400

Huntsville, Alabama U.S.

Post Number: 9027
Registered: Jul-05
nope doesnt make the amp good...a watt is a watt..but amps that are cea rated do there rated power...
 

Silver Member
Username: 420alldaylong

Post Number: 219
Registered: Sep-06
So your telling me that kenwood and sony amps do there rated RMS power. I don't belive that.
 

Gold Member
Username: Chaunb3400

Huntsville, Alabama U.S.

Post Number: 9028
Registered: Jul-05
within certain limits yes...

also u dont have to believe me...

when u are buying an amp u are paying for quailty.
 

Silver Member
Username: 420alldaylong

Post Number: 220
Registered: Sep-06
If a watt is a watt then why does my kicker KX400.1 slam my solo L5 15" dual 4ohm just as hard as my kenwood KAC-X812D both are being used at 2ohm. The kenwood is double the power of the kicker.
 

Silver Member
Username: Makmillion

MN United States

Post Number: 522
Registered: Apr-06
A NEW ATTITUDE
All Amped Up
By Krisa Bortz
Posted on Thursday, Sep 16, 2004




What this baby needs is -- more power. Yeah, it's a Tim Allen moment, but in an age where every manufacturer "has" amps that "do" 1000-plus-watts, it's important to know what true power is, and figure out if there is such a thing as "too much."

For starters, it's a given that a 200-watt rated sub cannot take 1000 watts of true power and survive very long. That's one of the reasons RMS ratings, and the new CEA2006 rating standards, exist.

"The CEA-2006 standard is a result of the car audio aftermarket industry, along with the CEA, recognizing the need for an amplifier comparison that consumers can easily understand and trust," explains Andy Wehmeyer of JBL, who sat on the committee that created the standard. "Without 2006, it has been difficult for consumers, and even some retail salespeople, to compare amplifiers based on real performance. Before CEA 2006, mobile amplifier specifications were loosely based on another CEA standard, EIA 517B. This standard allowed amplifier manufacturers to use almost any number of methods to measure and rate the performance of their products, as long as they provided some cursory information about their testing procedures in the reporting of their specs or their testing standards. Sorting out the differences in testing procedures hasn't been easy, and all the necessary information hasn't always been reported."

While CEA-member manufacturers aren't required to use the rating, or use it before 2006, there are several manufacturers already using the standard to allow consumers a way to directly compare different products.

"CEA 2006 simply provides a testing and reporting procedure that's clear, concise, and uniform across brands and models," states Wehmeyer. "We've adopted the standard because it's the right thing to do for customers. The Harman Consumer Group has complied with the new standard to guarantee JBL and Infinity consumers they're getting the most bang for their buck, literally, when they go shopping for a new amplifier. It's about time our industry recognized the importance of providing a useful tool for consumers to use in their buying process. The value of CEA-2006 in the marketplace depends on the whole industry adopting the standard. We're doing all we can to build top-quality amplifiers and to market them in a way that's both enthusiastic and realistic. Our specs have always reflected real amplifier performance. We hope other manufacturers will come to the party too."

Consumers and competitor enthusiasts are already latching onto the idea.

"There are two misleading things on the market today," states Will Reinholtz, a competitor/enthusiast from West Virginia. "The biggest is the manufacturer's power rating -- unless it's the new CEA rating."

"When buying an amp, I, first and foremost, look at the application in which it's going to be used, then I look at my budget to get me into the 'level' of amps," adds Reinholtz. "After the application -- full-range, subwoofer, etc. -- and price point have been set, I begin to read all of the specs, features, and research that I can find. I decide what features I actually need. Do I need an internal crossover? Do I need phasing switches? Do I need remote gain controls? This narrows the field and then you can look at style and brands. Do not forget to research reliability."

So, what if the brands you're looking at aren't CEA-2006 rated? Make sure you read the ratings. While subs are just as likely to be over- or under-rated by some manufacturers, one thing you can almost always count on is that if you have subs rated at 500 watts from brand Y, the 500-watt amp from brand Y will likely be a good fit. This is not to say that you have to use the same brand. Take a look at the brand Y rating -- if it's X watts at 1ohm, mono, at 12.5 volts, you can look at other brands with similar ratings and be reasonably confident that brand Q, which has a similar rating, will work for your brand Y subs.

Cosmetics are the other "red light" according to Rheinholtz.

"The other thing is what I like to call the 'bling-factor'," he said. "Don't be suckered into the first piece of shiny chrome that you put your eyes on because, believe me, more than likely you'll live to regret the purchase in the long run if this is the sole deciding factor. If you can, take every opportunity to listen to the product. For the life of me please, please, please, don't base your purchase just on what someone tells you. Be your own judge, jury, and executioner."

An long-time friend of mine, Sean Belanger, a former installer and start-up manufacturer of dBMonkey woofers in Spartanburg, SC, would always give newer enthusiasts this advice: "A chromed piece of poo is still poo."

Yes, having great looking gear is what gets people interested, but it can also attract the kind of attention you don't want. Remember, your ears -- which hear the music, the reason you have a system -- don't "see" what's actually producing the sound.

© Copyright 2004 carsound.com
 

Silver Member
Username: Makmillion

MN United States

Post Number: 523
Registered: Apr-06
"Don't be suckered into the first piece of shiny chrome that you put your eyes on because, believe me, more than likely you'll live to regret the purchase in the long run"

Aren't Audiobahn amps chrome? ;)
 

Silver Member
Username: N2audio

Lawrence, Ks USA

Post Number: 990
Registered: Mar-04
it puts amps (at least power ratings) on a level playing field, which is the purpose of power specifications in the first place, but companies realized they could just rate thier stuff "differently" and make thier products SEEM superior when they were far inferior.

and fwiw - Sony and Kenwood have had accurately rated amps for years.
 

Silver Member
Username: Bobimpact

Danbury, CT US

Post Number: 156
Registered: May-06
^^"Aren't Audiobahn amps chrome? ;)"

Yeah but they're OK cause they got FLAMEZ!!1!!~!
 

Gold Member
Username: Chaunb3400

Huntsville, Alabama U.S.

Post Number: 9030
Registered: Jul-05
"If a watt is a watt then why does my kicker KX400.1 slam my solo L5 15" dual 4ohm just as hard as my kenwood KAC-X812D both are being used at 2ohm. The kenwood is double the power of the kicker."

that makes no since.....a watt is a watt... a 500watt kicker will put out the same as a 500watt kenwood...if they both put out 500rms u will not be able to tell the diffrence...and if u think u can ur a lie..

Also sound doesnt work like that...ur not going to notice a huge diffrence between 600rms(kicker underrated) and a 800rms(kenwood)....u would almost have to double the power to notice a big diffrence
 

Gold Member
Username: Juliob

Santo DomingoDominican Re...

Post Number: 2415
Registered: Dec-05
^^^^ read that lucas.. a 1200w rms lanzar and a 1200w rms from other brand puts the same watts and you won't notice the difference.

The real deal is quality/durability... that's what you pay for. CEA is good cuz you know how many Watts you're getting but that doesn't mean the amp quality is good... cuz kenwood is kinda messy and is CEA 2006..
 

Silver Member
Username: 420alldaylong

Post Number: 222
Registered: Sep-06
Chauncey



Kicker KX400.1
200x1 at 4ohm
400x1 at 2ohm

Kenwood KAC-X812D
533x1 at 4ohm
919x1 at 2ohm
1016x1 at 1ohm

The kicker KX400.1 pushes the 15" L5 bacisally the same as the KAC-X812D and the KAC-X812D is more than double the power at 2ohm. Both are being used at 2ohm and the sub was being used in the same vented box.
 

Gold Member
Username: Juliob

Santo DomingoDominican Re...

Post Number: 2429
Registered: Dec-05
maybe you couldn't notice the difference joey, or maybe the THD was higher than the kicker, but the power coming from the kenwood should be higher.
 

Gold Member
Username: Chaunb3400

Huntsville, Alabama U.S.

Post Number: 9036
Registered: Jul-05
Joey...

u do relize that kicker amp does around 600-700rms @2ohms...and the Kenwood does 919@2ohms...u will not notice a diffrence in sound...sound doesnt work like that...u would not notice a nice diffrence in sound unless u had an amp that did around 1300-1400rms@2ohms...
 

Silver Member
Username: 420alldaylong

Post Number: 227
Registered: Sep-06
Chauncey

KX400.1 does not do around 600-700RMS thats just not goona happen.
 

Silver Member
Username: Drsmith

Montana USA

Post Number: 697
Registered: Nov-04
joey actually that will happen, kicker amps are way under rated
 

Silver Member
Username: 420alldaylong

Post Number: 228
Registered: Sep-06
The KX600.1 does around 700-760RMS So how in the hell would the KX400.1 do 600-700RMS. Underrated but not that underrated.
 

Gold Member
Username: Chaunb3400

Huntsville, Alabama U.S.

Post Number: 9039
Registered: Jul-05
yes it is...the 600.1 does closer to the mid to high 800's

what does ur birthsheet say??
 

Silver Member
Username: 420alldaylong

Post Number: 229
Registered: Sep-06
Birthsheet says 474RMS it's not mine it's a frineds
 

Silver Member
Username: N2audio

Lawrence, Ks USA

Post Number: 991
Registered: Mar-04
there's an explanation - gain, boost, psychoacoustics...
500w simply doesn't out-perform 800w
 

Platinum Member
Username: Glasswolf

Wisteria, Lane USA

Post Number: 11633
Registered: Dec-03
double the power is only a difference of 3dB at FULL volume, and only if your input sensitivity is set properly, so I'm not that surprised you can't hear much difference, Joey.
SEA2006 ratings simply mean a strict set of standards were used to measure output power of the amplifier, so it can be compared with other brands for output, accurately.. instead of relying on "overrated" or "underrated" manufacturer magically acquired specs.
The CEA rating has nothing to do with the actual design or build quality of the amplifier, it's just a power measurement standard, much the way DUMAX is a standardized way of testing the T/S specs of a speaker.

More power, unless you're talking magnitudes of increase, will rarely make a huge difference in overall output, especially for music (as opposed to SPL events.)
If you want more output, try a more effective approach, like adding another sub (another +3dB) or switching to a better enclosure design or a better, more acoustically friendly vehicle.

your misconceptions aren't the fault of CEA2006 standards. It's a lack of knowledge about the physics of acoustics.
 

Gold Member
Username: Chaunb3400

Huntsville, Alabama U.S.

Post Number: 9043
Registered: Jul-05
i bet he still doesnt believe us...
 

Silver Member
Username: Drsmith

Montana USA

Post Number: 706
Registered: Nov-04
haha GW shows up and regulates lol
 

Gold Member
Username: Juliob

Santo DomingoDominican Re...

Post Number: 2436
Registered: Dec-05
hehe
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