Home Planar Speaker Asylum

Welcome! Need support, you got it. Or share your ideas and experiences.

[ Follow Ups ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Planar Speaker Asylum ]
[ Alert Moderator ]

Re: ML owner - here is my amp specs per manufacturer

Hi, Dan,

I think the mfr of your amp is indulging in a bit of "misinformation" in the specs.

You say above "Peak short circuit current = 150 amps".

The key here is "short circuit". What this specification refers to is the current which the amp would produce if you shorted the output terminals - so the output impedance of the amp is the only thing limiting the flow of current ... not the speaker impedance.

What would happen in real life if you did this is that the output transistors would blow ... or, if the amp had protection, this would trip.

Take my own amps (AKSA). The amp driving the mid-panels of my IIIAs has an output impedance of 0.013ohms; the voltage rails are +/-36v. Theoretically, the peak short circuit current is (I = V/R) 36v/0.013 = 2,700 amps!! That's nonsense!!

Using the same equation for RMS current and assuming the mid-panel is 4 ohms, you get 36v/4 = 9 amps. That's continuous. Peak current is probably 50% higher than this because the power supply is well built.

These are "real numbers" with no marketing "sleight of hand" involved ... but I'm interested in how they compare with so-called "high current" amps. Unfortunately, because marketeers know that "current" is one of the decisions points, they use misleading specs - much like car manufacturers used to do with horsepower in the "old days".

Regards,

Andy



This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.  

Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups
You can not post to an archived thread.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]