That seems to have been at least part of the reason they use the
term
*effective power*. If we are going to ask if the manufacturer is
"lying" we
have to start with what the manufacturer actually *said*.


So I guess the answer to the question
lies in whether or not this amp can push 150 watts of energy into
any
speaker
load. Can you answer that question by looking at the measurements
in
Stereophile?

Is 5% THD too low a number for you for rated power? If not, the
level is
about 10-15W. Is there any power amp in the market that has a rated
power spec'd at higher than 5% distortion?

Are there any others that talk about "effective power?"

And then there's the McIntosh MC501, just reviewed in Stereophile. It
is rated at 500W "minimum sinewave continuous average power output".
Yet, if asked to output 166W, it will overheat and shut down in 5
minutes. Is this an unfair test? Certainly, 1/3 power is the point
at which a class B amplifier reaches its maximum dissipation, but is
the customer supposed to know that--or care? If you bought a car
that will do 100mph, would you expect it to have serious problems at
35mph? In the case of the MC501, even 30W is too much, overheating in
20 minutes. (These numbers come straight from John Atkinson,
incidentally. I'm not guessing.)

I was under the impression that the FTC has regulations as to how
amplifiers must perform to meet their published specifications. The
MC501 will not meet those specifications if it overheats at 166W, much
less 30W.

I think something bad is happening in the amplifier world, and I'd
like to know just what it is.

Norm Strong