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Reading Spec Sheets

I often look at watts, but what about current. Is there a way to tell if an amp is high current or not. The reason why I ask is I have had amps that list more watts into 8ohms or 4 ohms, but did not sound as powerful as amps with less watts. I suspect the reason is current. So is there anything in a spec sheet that would tell current capablities.
kclone
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
power is product of current and voltage. do your math.
jjrenman
279 posts
 
IMO, whichever amp better handles the complex load of a multi way speaker, typically will sound more powerful than an amp that can't, regardless of rated output into a 4 or 8 ohm resistor.
jtcf's avatar
jtcf
1,620 posts
 
An amp will sound more powerful if it can double it's output into a 4ohm load or triple into a 2 ohm load.For instance the spec. sheet may read:40 watts into 8 ohms,80 watts into 4ohms,120 watts into 2 ohms.Many spec. sheets don't include that info. but a call or email to the manufacturer will provide you with that spec.
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
Look at the weight of the amp, in general, the heavier the amp, the beefier the power supply, the higher the current it can provide.
tonyangel
309 posts
 
Yeah, my unscientific method of analysis is to look at the specs regarding power output at 8, 4 and 2 ohms, WITH ALL CHANNEL DRIVEN.

Just as an example, I have an Aragon 2004 2 channel amp that's as old as the hills. It's rated at 100wpc at 8 ohms and 200wpc at 4 ohms and weighs over 40lbs.

If you're looking at Class D amps, though, that's a whole different ball game.
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