Bass versus amplier output?

[[email protected]]

I just got this cd/mp3 player for my car..
JVC HD/Bluetooth-Ready Car Stereo (KD-G340) and the ad says 50W x 4
peak power. However when I view the manual, it says something like 22W
x 4, 4ohm in the amplifier output section. The bass is really weak. I
guess I don't understand the difference.

[GregS[_3_]]

In article >, wrote:
>I just got this cd/mp3 player for my car..
>JVC HD/Bluetooth-Ready Car Stereo (KD-G340) and the ad says 50W x 4
>peak power. However when I view the manual, it says something like 22W
>x 4, 4ohm in the amplifier output section. The bass is really weak. I
>guess I don't understand the difference.

Peak means something but is usually an advertising gimmic.
If you double the watts, sound level just barely increases.

greg

[MAKOSA BOOSA]

> wrote in message
...
>I just got this cd/mp3 player for my car..
> JVC HD/Bluetooth-Ready Car Stereo (KD-G340) and the ad says 50W x 4
> peak power. However when I view the manual, it says something like 22W
> x 4, 4ohm in the amplifier output section. The bass is really weak. I
> guess I don't understand the difference.

22W x 4 is the RMS rating i.e what the unit is capable of producing at a
continuous rate; most head units put out that much. Peak power / Max power
is what the internal amplifier is capable of producing for a very short
period of time, say a second.

Adding a subwoofer to your system will definitely achieve the result your
after. What you're after is a straightforward 'active subwoofer'.

[SKaReCRoW]

I usually tell people to flat out ignore peak ratings. They don't mean much
of anything. I've seen amplifiers and speakers with peak ratings of several
hundred, and even over 1000 watts, but were really only 75 watts RMS (or
even less in many cases).

Some of the more reputable companies may advertise peak ratings that are
pretty accurate. For an amp a true peak rating is what the amp is capable
of putting out for very short durations. Most often fractions of a second.
Speakers peak ratings are what the speaker should be able to handle for
those same fractions of a second. Normally you'll see peak ratings are
roughly 200% of the RMS rating from the reputable companies.

Many of the cheaper stuff (like Speco, Pyle, Pyramid, etc etc etc) that you
usually find at flea markets advertise severely inflated peak ratings. Many
years ago I got my hands on a 1600 watt amp (I can't remember the brand or
model, wish I could) that I took apart. I looked up all of the parts
inside, and from my best estimation, the amp was only capable of putting out
roughly 60-70 watts RMS. I've also seen amplified computer speakers
advertised as 580 watts PMPO... PMPO==Peak Music Power Output... Whatever
that means... Anyway, upon further research I found out the speakers had
about a 3 watt amp built in. So their peak rating was about 20000% of the
RMS.

Be cautious when looking at advertised ratings. Some companies will ONLY
advertise peak numbers, some will only advertise RMS, others will advertise
both. As you can see, peak can be anywhere from 2 times RMS, up to 200
times RMS. As a rule of thumb, if a company only advertises peak ratings,
stay as far away from them as possible, because you will never know what the
equipment can really put out, or handle.

I wouldn't rate JVC as one of the best companies, but they're definitely not
one of the worst either. Notice how their peak rating is about double RMS.
22 watts is plenty of power for mids and highs, but if it's bass you're
looking for, you're gonna need a bit more power than you can get from any
head unit. You should look into adding an external amp and 1 or more
subwoofers. If you don't have the space/time/money/whatever for that,
replacing your stock speakers is always a good idea. You might be able to
get more bass out of some aftermarket speakers.

Hope this helped you.

----- Original Message -----
From: >
Newsgroups: rec.audio.car
Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2008 10:35 PM
Subject: Bass versus amplier output?


>I just got this cd/mp3 player for my car..
> JVC HD/Bluetooth-Ready Car Stereo (KD-G340) and the ad says 50W x 4
> peak power. However when I view the manual, it says something like 22W
> x 4, 4ohm in the amplifier output section. The bass is really weak. I
> guess I don't understand the difference.
> wrote in message
...
>I just got this cd/mp3 player for my car..
> JVC HD/Bluetooth-Ready Car Stereo (KD-G340) and the ad says 50W x 4
> peak power. However when I view the manual, it says something like 22W
> x 4, 4ohm in the amplifier output section. The bass is really weak. I
> guess I don't understand the difference.

[Jack Bauer]

SKaReCRoW wrote:
> I usually tell people to flat out ignore peak ratings. They don't mean much
> of anything. I've seen amplifiers and speakers with peak ratings of several
> hundred, and even over 1000 watts, but were really only 75 watts RMS (or
> even less in many cases).
>
> Some of the more reputable companies may advertise peak ratings that are
> pretty accurate. For an amp a true peak rating is what the amp is capable
> of putting out for very short durations. Most often fractions of a second.
> Speakers peak ratings are what the speaker should be able to handle for
> those same fractions of a second. Normally you'll see peak ratings are
> roughly 200% of the RMS rating from the reputable companies.
>
> Many of the cheaper stuff (like Speco, Pyle, Pyramid, etc etc etc) that you
> usually find at flea markets advertise severely inflated peak ratings. Many
> years ago I got my hands on a 1600 watt amp (I can't remember the brand or
> model, wish I could) that I took apart. I looked up all of the parts
> inside, and from my best estimation, the amp was only capable of putting out
> roughly 60-70 watts RMS. I've also seen amplified computer speakers
> advertised as 580 watts PMPO... PMPO==Peak Music Power Output... Whatever
> that means... Anyway, upon further research I found out the speakers had
> about a 3 watt amp built in. So their peak rating was about 20000% of the
> RMS.
>
> Be cautious when looking at advertised ratings. Some companies will ONLY
> advertise peak numbers, some will only advertise RMS, others will advertise
> both. As you can see, peak can be anywhere from 2 times RMS, up to 200
> times RMS. As a rule of thumb, if a company only advertises peak ratings,
> stay as far away from them as possible, because you will never know what the
> equipment can really put out, or handle.
>
> I wouldn't rate JVC as one of the best companies, but they're definitely not
> one of the worst either. Notice how their peak rating is about double RMS.
> 22 watts is plenty of power for mids and highs, but if it's bass you're
> looking for, you're gonna need a bit more power than you can get from any
> head unit. You should look into adding an external amp and 1 or more
> subwoofers. If you don't have the space/time/money/whatever for that,
> replacing your stock speakers is always a good idea. You might be able to
> get more bass out of some aftermarket speakers.
>
> Hope this helped you.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: >
> Newsgroups: rec.audio.car
> Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2008 10:35 PM
> Subject: Bass versus amplier output?
>
>
>> I just got this cd/mp3 player for my car..
>> JVC HD/Bluetooth-Ready Car Stereo (KD-G340) and the ad says 50W x 4
>> peak power. However when I view the manual, it says something like 22W
>> x 4, 4ohm in the amplifier output section. The bass is really weak. I
>> guess I don't understand the difference.
> > wrote in message
> ...
>> I just got this cd/mp3 player for my car..
>> JVC HD/Bluetooth-Ready Car Stereo (KD-G340) and the ad says 50W x 4
>> peak power. However when I view the manual, it says something like 22W
>> x 4, 4ohm in the amplifier output section. The bass is really weak. I
>> guess I don't understand the difference.
>
>

All good points. It used to be that the high end makers would specify
RMS power @THD, meaning that they spec something like 45W RMS/channel @
..05% THD. But they no longer give the distortion, supposedly there is
some standard they are all complying with that includes an implied
distortion level.