When amp specs say something like "2 x 15 watts per channel", it makes it seem like it's 30 watts...but it's actually just 15 watts, right? Why does it say "2 x"? I see specs like this for everything from portable headphone amps to speaker amps.
That can't be right. If it's 15 watts per channel, then it's just 15 watts. And it doesn't explain why they would say "two times fifteen watts per channel".
It just is saying saying rather than calling it 15 watt amp they just want you to know that it is 15 watts per channel hence 2X15. Nothing wrong with that as it has been done like that for years or they just say 15 watts per channel.
It just is saying saying rather than calling it 15 watt amp they just want you to know that it is 15 watts per channel hence 2X15. Nothing wrong with that as it has been done like that for years or they just say 15 watts per channel.
It just means they have two channels at 15 watts per each channel nothing more than that. It is saying you have a two channel amp that does 15 watts for each channel period nothing more than that.
It just means they have two channels at 15 watts per each channel nothing more than that. It is saying you have a two channel amp that does 15 watts for each channel period nothing more than that.
Yes and no it does say that you have just two channels. My AVR has 7 channels so they say 7 X 125 watts per channel to let you know each has 125 watts per channel. It used to be more common to say 15 watts per channel but now you have multi channel amps so to distinguish between them they do the 2 X ? or whatever.
With pretty much the same misleading logic, or just poor English, I saw a sign on a speaker in a Hi-Fi shop. It read $1,000. Hey, says I, that is a pretty good price for a pair of these speakers. Salesman 'corrected' me by pointing out that the cost was per speaker. Really? So we are still in the age of mono? Try buying one speaker cable. Not happening, right? So then this logic is everywhere, and there are little to no standards for how products are presented.
With pretty much the same misleading logic, or just poor English, I saw a sign on a speaker in a Hi-Fi shop. It read $1,000. Hey, says I, that is a pretty good price for a pair of these speakers. Salesman 'corrected' me by pointing out that the cost was per speaker. Really? So we are still in the age of mono? Try buying one speaker cable. Not happening, right? So then this logic is everywhere, and there are little to no standards for how products are presented.
heh, yeah. At least the per speaker price makes sense for studio monitors, since some may buy individual ones for specific purposes, or perhaps three of them.
When amp specs say something like "2 x 15 watts per channel", it makes it seem like it's 30 watts...but it's actually just 15 watts, right? Why does it say "2 x"? I see specs like this for everything from portable headphone amps to speaker amps.
1. Most amps have 2 channels. Some amps and receivers have 5, 6, or 7ch output. Some stand alone HT amps have either 3ch or 5ch. Subwoofer amps have 1ch. If you label an amp as "500watts" vs "100w x 5" you have to look elsewhere for by what number to divide that with. Headphone and subwoofer amps just followed the same format.
2. Other amps are "x.1" amps. Some convenient car amps have 3channels but are "75w x2 + 150w x1," ie, a 2.1, instead of "300w at 4ohms." Ditto some plate amps for multimedia applications. Some have five channels - "100w x4 + 250w x1" instead of "650w at 4ohms." Stereo amps might seem like a no brainer to someone who knows what "stereo" means but it can be confusing to other users. More so in car audio where you get several channels but they're meant to run stereo just like studio monitors (ie, separate amp channels and hence, gain control, on tweeters and midwoofers). Stereo amps just follow the same format rather than sticking to the old summed format.
3. You really should worry more about other ways of stating amp specs. Like how HT receivers go, "175w x 7" followed by a "*1% THD, 1000hz, one channel driven" elsewhere in the manual or in a corner of the box.
for stereo gear (avr's somehow seem to get around it), but for for stereo equipment there is actually still fairly strict FTC requirements for labeling power output.. This stems for the 70's stereo wars when certain companies started getting 'cute' listing output that wasn't actually what the unit could do..
This applies for 2x channel stereo gear intended for sale in the U.S. however...so you see ridiculous stuff say on T-amps or other stereo amps from china or wherever on ebay.. you'll see rated power at 10% distortion.. which is useless as it would be unlistenable at that rate of distortion..
oh here is my 200WPC Sony TA-N77ES circa 1989.. this thing will get the neighbors attention if you want it to...
On a related note, I'm getting a 40 watt (per channel into 8 ohms) vintage stereo receiver (Kenwood KR-720) soon. I mainly plan on using it to drive electrostats from the speaker taps with an electrostatic converter, but can also use it with normal headphones and passive speakers in the future.
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