300 watt Boombox ??????

[JURB6006]

I saw it mentioned in HiFi or Stereo Review:

PIP-ILS

Which means Peak Instantaneous Power If Lightning Strikes.

It's amazing, and people also fail to realize that to be twice as loud it needs
10X the power. Doubling power is almost the smallest difference in level
discernable to the human ear. Of course it still carries much farther, which
explains me living in Rocky River and having someone call the Lakewood police !
(Ohio) I lived right by the river and believe me, I guess you could call it
broadcasting ! Belive it or not that stereo was <50 WRMS/channel. People also
don't realize just how LOUD 1 watt can be, but you still need 10 watts to get
it twice as loud.

We have a different rating, OMW, Old Marantz Watts. You buy an old 25 WPC
reciever and find that it puts out 60 WPC by the time it clips. Those were the
days.

JURB

 

[[email protected]]

25 watts RMS would be a FAR stretch. Probably instanteous peak
music power on a damn good day at 3x battery voltage.

Pete

OK, someone brought to my attention that Walmart has lots of this
stuff on their website, and sure enough, here is that same stereo
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...roduct_id=2197580&path=0:3944:3987:96890:4479

I see it dont specify whether the 300 w is RMS or whatever.

However

This other advertised stereo specifies 330watts, and says 165 RMS. X
two channels. (into two 6.5" woofers) ---- Yeah, right!!!!

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...roduct_id=2197605&path=0:3944:3987:96890:4479

 

[Bruce Rowen]

I pulled a disgusting EQ from a car a number of years ago that had "100
watts" boldly
printed on the top. This EQ was passive, it only had 324 op amps and
five slider pots.
The 100 watt rating probably was related to how much power the various
speaker wires
could take before melting....

 

[Uns Lider]

OK, someone brought to my attention that Walmart has lots of this
stuff on their website, and sure enough, here is that same stereo
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...roduct_id=2197580&path=0:3944:3987:96890:4479

I see it dont specify whether the 300 w is RMS or whatever.

The owner's manual for that unit is available on the Aiwa web site. It
includes the following specs:

Power output: 120 W + 120 W (40 Hz - 20 kHz, THD < 1%, 6 ohms)
150 W + 150 W (1 kHz, THD < 10%, 6 ohms)
THD: 0.08% (60 W, 1kHz, 6 ohms)
....
Power consumption: 120 W

Amazing! 120W comes in the wall socket and 300W comes out the speaker
plugs! As long as you're listening to a 1kHz sine wave. Maybe there is a
nuclear reactor inside.

BTW, it's a "mini system", not a "boom box" (it doesn't run on batteries).

This other advertised stereo specifies 330watts, and says 165 RMS. X
two channels. (into two 6.5" woofers) ---- Yeah, right!!!!

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/prod...roduct_id=2197605&path=0:3944:3987:96890:4479

On the Philips web site, there is a "spec sheet" (advertising pamphlet) and
an owner's manual for this model. The owner's manual gives the following
specs:

Output power: 330 W total power
2 x 165 WRMS(1)
2 x 135 WFTC(1)
....
(1) (6ohms, 60 Hz - 12.5 kHz, 10% THD)
....
Power Consumption - Active: 175 W

Hmm... Only 188% efficient, unlike the Aiwa which is 250% efficient. But
wait, let's check out the spec sheet:

Amplifier: 2 x 165 watts RMS
5500 watts PMPO

5500 watts! If only Philips would tell the rest of us how they managed to
break the laws of thermodynamics! Maybe it was by making the unit so ugly
as to chase away science?

-- uns

 

[[email protected]]

The owner's manual for that unit is available on the Aiwa web site. It
includes the following specs:

Power output: 120 W + 120 W (40 Hz - 20 kHz, THD < 1%, 6 ohms)
150 W + 150 W (1 kHz, THD < 10%, 6 ohms)
THD: 0.08% (60 W, 1kHz, 6 ohms)
...
Power consumption: 120 W

Amazing! 120W comes in the wall socket and 300W comes out the speaker
plugs! As long as you're listening to a 1kHz sine wave. Maybe there is a
nuclear reactor inside.

BTW, it's a "mini system", not a "boom box" (it doesn't run on batteries).


On the Philips web site, there is a "spec sheet" (advertising pamphlet) and
an owner's manual for this model. The owner's manual gives the following
specs:

Output power: 330 W total power
2 x 165 WRMS(1)
2 x 135 WFTC(1)
...
(1) (6ohms, 60 Hz - 12.5 kHz, 10% THD)
...
Power Consumption - Active: 175 W

Hmm... Only 188% efficient, unlike the Aiwa which is 250% efficient. But
wait, let's check out the spec sheet:

Amplifier: 2 x 165 watts RMS
5500 watts PMPO

5500 watts! If only Philips would tell the rest of us how they managed to
break the laws of thermodynamics! Maybe it was by making the unit so ugly
as to chase away science?

-- uns

Thanks for the detailed info on these. You are correct, they are a
"mini system", but look like a boombox. That is exactly my point
about the wattage. The 5500 watts is beyond a laugh. Heck, I have
been to very large concerts, and talked with the sound people. Their
towers consisting of 6 or more 15" or 18" speakers on each side, plus
huge horns. Their power was two 1000w or 1500w amps.
These claims are just plain BS. I thought there were laws about false
advertising ???

As far as UGLY, I'm glad you agreed. I thought the thing was just
plain gawdy. All kinds of dials and meters, and the meters are only
fake, useless things to add to the clutter.

I'll stick to my old 1980ish stereo with a nice looking woodgrain
case. a real meter, and I believe it's a "true" 50 watts per channel.

 

[Lee Blaver]

Heck, I have
been to very large concerts, and talked with the sound people. Their
towers consisting of 6 or more 15" or 18" speakers on each side, plus
huge horns. Their power was two 1000w or 1500w amps.

Heh.. one company I worked for put 45kW genuine rms into a nightclub.
Granted it was a big nightclub, and 30kW was just for the bass
We had to run the amplifier stack from a dedicated 3 phase 240v 100A
panel and time the amps to come on sequentially.


It took us all of one day just to carry all the speakers in...

Lee

 

[Ross Mac]

Heh.. one company I worked for put 45kW genuine rms into a nightclub.
Granted it was a big nightclub, and 30kW was just for the bass
We had to run the amplifier stack from a dedicated 3 phase 240v 100A
panel and time the amps to come on sequentially.


It took us all of one day just to carry all the speakers in...

Lee

Now that's some juice! I bet the lights dimmed when you turned those baby's
on!......Ross

 

[Lee Blaver]

Now that's some juice! I bet the lights dimmed when you turned those baby's
on!......Ross

I remember arguing with the sound engineer that the supply wouldn't be
adequate, but it held up fine. We did put a limiter/compressor in to
ride out any really heavy peaks and the whole thing had an overide
limiter if the noise level went too close to the legal limits.

This was a three storey warehouse sized building, so it was pretty large.
I do remember that they had to have an elaborate baffle built on to the
aircon exhaust to stop excess noise leaking out of the building
though

Lee

 

[Ross Mac]

I remember arguing with the sound engineer that the supply wouldn't be
adequate, but it held up fine. We did put a limiter/compressor in to
ride out any really heavy peaks and the whole thing had an overide
limiter if the noise level went too close to the legal limits.

This was a three storey warehouse sized building, so it was pretty large.
I do remember that they had to have an elaborate baffle built on to the
aircon exhaust to stop excess noise leaking out of the building
though

Lee

Serious Watts here! Sounds like you could shake the walls with this system!
......have a great one....Ross

 

[jakdedert]

Heh.. one company I worked for put 45kW genuine rms into a nightclub.
Granted it was a big nightclub, and 30kW was just for the bass
We had to run the amplifier stack from a dedicated 3 phase 240v 100A
panel and time the amps to come on sequentially.

That's all standard stuff for the pro-sound reinforcement industy. Outdoor
rigs can be even larger.

 

[jakdedert]

Now that's some juice! I bet the lights dimmed when you turned those baby's
on!......Ross

No, the lights probably got brighter! They were surely on their own
dedicated service(s)...probably three to four hundred amps...and the guy
running them wouldn't turn them *down* when the music started.... ;-)

jak

 

[jakdedert]

I'm not sure what precisely they do, but the ratings are complete BS, sadly
most of the low and mid end equipment has massivly inflated power ratings. I
have a powered subwoofer on my home theater system that while it sounds ok,
it's rated at 150W output, but 75W draw from the wall, I'd like them to
explain to me how their amplifier is 200% efficient.

I also recall seeing a set of computer speakers that were rated at a
laughable 600 Watts, said it in big letters on the front, an autopsy
revealed an amplifier chip that was 0.75W RMS x 2 and another similar
looking chip driving the sub, ridiculous.

I have an air compressor also that's rated at 5HP according to the huge
sticker on the front, though it plugs into a standard 120v outlet and has a
rated current draw of 15A, it couldn't possibly be more than about 2.5HP.

I look forward to the day when there's a law regarding these ludicrously
inflated ratings, much like those that force manufactures to show the actual
viewable size of a TV screen.

There used to be a law. Back in the late 60's or early 70's, the FTC
specified the power rating of an amplifier had to be a continuous RMS
figure, rated from 20 Hz to 20 kHz at a specified level of harmonic
distortion. I believe that in the late 70's, when designers started coming
up with amplifier designs which could switch in additional power for music
peaks, those figures became less pertinent; and the manufacturers lobbied to
get the rules changed or repealed.

Now it's a free-for-all.

jak