are all watts created equal?

[HertzWhenIPlay]

in many electronics the measuring, or rating, system has been changed throughout the years.
can anyone comment on if this is true in guitar amps?

thanks.

[M0ses]

A watt is a derived unit. So no.

[KramerBassFan]

Literally, A Watt is a Watt.

What?

BUT, that said, they are not always measured the same in terms of output power, with fancy marketing terms such as PMS, peak power, music power, Peak RMS music power being an especially nice one.

[BigOldHarry]

Originally Posted by KramerBassFan

Literally, A Watt is a Watt.

What?

BUT, that said, they are not always measured the same in terms of output power, with fancy marketing terms such as PMS, peak power, music power, Peak RMS music power being an especially nice one.

Yes, and different manufacturers like to state their watts differently...

[MuzikMan]

True, a watt is a unit of measure that does not change, but there is definately creative marketing when describing the rating of a product. I am not sure about all of the aspects of the amplifier world, but I do know that there is a trend to describe powered cabs with peak watts these days. This has not always been the case, so buyer beware.

[M0ses]

Originally Posted by MuzikMan

True, a watt is a unit of measure that does not change, but there is definately creative marketing when describing the rating of a product. I am not sure about all of the aspects of the amplifier world, but I do know that there is a trend to describe powered cabs with peak watts these days. This has not always been the case, so buyer beware.

Yep, I guess I took the question too literally.

[MuzikMan]

Originally Posted by M0ses

Yep, I guess I took the question too literally.

You did begin the conversation with the most important point.

[christw]

Manufacturers will occasionally also fluff their RMS ratings by giving wattage ratings at higher than useful total harmonic distortion.

[KramerBassFan]

Originally Posted by MuzikMan

True, a watt is a unit of measure that does not change, but there is definately creative marketing when describing the rating of a product. I am not sure about all of the aspects of the amplifier world, but I do know that there is a trend to describe powered cabs with peak watts these days. This has not always been the case, so buyer beware.

Not always the case? It's nothing new. I've seen plenty of old 2x 6L6 amps that are rated at 100w "Music Power" and all that jazz.

[BigOldHarry]

Originally Posted by christw

Manufacturers will occasionally also fluff their RMS ratings by giving wattage ratings at higher than useful total harmonic distortion.

Occasionally?

Some companies are infamous for it... A few underrates their amps. Not many...

[MuzikMan]

Yes that's where comparing amps get very tricky on paper. I for one would be interested in knowing exactly which manufacturers are fluffing and which aren't , but I suppose manufacturer bashing would ensue.

[HertzWhenIPlay]

Originally Posted by MuzikMan

You did begin the conversation with the most important point.

very true. my question is actually about the accepted measuring standards used in amplifier ratings new and old.

thanks for rhe feedback

[MuzikMan]

Originally Posted by KramerBassFan

Not always the case? It's nothing new. I've seen plenty of old 2x 6L6 amps that are rated at 100w "Music Power" and all that jazz.

That's definately true, over the years there have been many marketing ploys in many fields of the industry. My comment was intended to point out that a particular portion of the industry has changed its overall position on this topic over time, making it more difficult to determine exactly who is fibbing and who is giving us real, usable information.

[DaZombieWoof]

A huge driver is efficiency of the cabs. Lemmy is killing with 2 100 watt bass heads. 8-12s and 8-15s helps, I think. Tube rigs run to their ragged edge have a more accepted sound than most solid state amps.

[MuzikMan]

Originally Posted by HertzWhenIPlay

very true. my question is actually about the accepted measuring standards used in amplifier ratings new and old.

thanks for rhe feedback

Unfortunately the standards are changin all of the time so if you don't keep up you won't know what the latest trend is. I hope others will chime in with more relevant data.

[christw]

Originally Posted by BigOldHarry

Occasionally?

Some companies are infamous for it... A few underrates their amps. Not many...

When looking at amps I usually don't even bother looking at anything but RMS. If I don't get a THD % with that, I look elsewhere.

Check out the Bugera Nuke bass head. That is the king of marketing bull. There is actually no discernable performance information available except for "3600 watts bridged 1800 watts stereo" and I'm sure you can appreciate how little that says.

[MuzikMan]

Originally Posted by christw

When looking at amps I usually don't even bother looking at anything but RMS. If I don't get a THD % with that, I look elsewhere.

Check out the Bugera Nuke bass head. That is the king of marketing bull. There is actually no discernable performance information available except for "3600 watts bridged 1800 watts stereo" and I'm sure you can appreciate how little that says.

That makes sense. If a company isn't willing to disclose how they arrived at their specs then it is likely that there is something to hide.

[gaffster787]

X Volts RMS produces the same power into a given impedance that X Volts DC would produce. So it's really Watts, measured with an RMS voltage, not "Watts RMS". It does give the best apples to apples comparison of speakers or amps because it is the equivalent "heating power" that is produced by a sine wave.

A Watt is defined as one joule per second or the rate at which work is done when one ampere (A) of current flows through an electrical potential difference of one volt (V).

Sans marketing..a Watt is a Watt..

[MuzikMan]

Originally Posted by gaffster787

X Volts RMS produces the same power into a given impedance that X Volts DC would produce. So it's really Watts, measured with an RMS voltage, not "Watts RMS". It does give the best apples to apples comparison of speakers or amps because it is the equivalent "heating power" that is produced by a sine wave.

Cool, where can we get these numbers?

[Balog]

What is an acceptable thd%?