clamp test

[grumby13 3]

so i was wondering if we can have a list that we can make that will have a list of each amp that each one of us clamped and post it and can be added to a big list. This question came from me seeing this

http://www.carstereoclassifieds.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6516

[Sencheezy 689]

Clamp test isn't the best way to compare amps. Simply because of the conditions of each test and the insignificance of it in your car. If youre interested in a particular model, then you'll be able to find it with a little Google search. If an amp has published ratings, then that's all you really need as a consumer. For example, if Amp A is rated at 1500 but clamps 1600 watts, that doesn't mean that Amp B that is rated for 1500 watts but only clamps 1490 is any better or any worse as you cannot hear the difference of a few hundred watts. I hope this helps.

[grumby13 3]

oh okay i thought maybe someone might want an amp that produces x wattage at x ohm and be cheap. and sen are you ever in the tri state area because i watched some vids of your build and would like to hear it some day but did not follow up if you still have the evil or not. and one other thing that list do you know where i can find info of the ohms from box rise like what each one goes to like is 1.6ohms considered 1 ohm or 2 ohms and so on and so forth

Edited October 16, 2013 by grumby13

[95Honda 486]

You can take the inputs you would get from most people with a grain of salt...

[Impious 1,476]

Last thing I would want to do is promote the idea of users here paying attention to clamp tests.

[grumby13 3]

you can have them submit a video or picture with their name on the forums to have it legit. but i thought it would be a cool idea see how much wattage everyone has. they don't have to pay attention to it just use it as a reference on the rating of each company's amps, mainly to give an idea of what company you are investing your money into.

[Sencheezy 689]

I think the thing your missing is that, clamp test are pointless. If the company is honest, then you will trust that amplifiers ratings. It doesn't matter if it's 100 watts under or over rated. Those are published numbers that the company is liable for and should stand by. If you notice, some companies like to show these clamp tests as a marketing gimmick, a sells pitch to draw you in.

[grumby13 3]

So companies that sell very cheap amps like boss audio for instance. There was a guy who clamped a boss audio 3k or 2k don't recall on the top of my head but it was one of those two and was only making a little leas the 300watts on one channel

[Sencheezy 689]

There are peak ratings and RMS ratings. As stated before, it's a selling pitch. You're concerned with RMS.

[///M5 2,833]

Completely pointless test. If you believe any clamp test it is NO DIFFERENT than believing that the Boss amp truly makes 2k watts. Just as uneducated.

It isn't even a relative comparison if the same person does the test. Seriously completely useless.

I'll give you a hint. ANY test that does not list the uncertainty is not a test. Go ahead and try to calculate the uncertainty once and understand the factors leading up to it and you will never, ever think a clamp test is a logical way of doing anything.

[grumby13 3]

then what kind of test would be good to understand how well an amp does

[jcarter1885 995]

None of the ones you see on a car audio forum

[grumby13 3]

then what would be a formula to calculate how much an amp can put out at different voltages

[Sencheezy 689]

Wow does an amp power mean so much to you? All the amps you will find on this site and reliable and will do rated. There are a billion amplifiers out there that will not. As long as you stay around here, you will be fine. Don't put SO much emphasis on what power at what Voltage at what ohm at 1:46pm on Saturday. See where I'm going with this? Power IS the LEAST efficient and most expensive way to get loud. So it should be the least of your worries.

[grumby13 3]

not all the time bit would like to give subs rated power atleast and see how much headroom i have to upgrade. i know that but i want to know bassically how much i can pull from one amp at different voltage and headroom to add on later down the road instead of buying an amp that is rated for 1200 at 2 ohms and knowing it does 1200 and not knowing that i does a little more and to know what and how much headroom i have. for me knowing what the clamp test of an amp did would let me know how far down the chain of amps i can go to match the rms wattage of the sub(s) i would run off of that amp

[Sencheezy 689]

THEN USE THE PUBLISHED RATINGS

[grumby13 3]

wouldn't it save me money if i knew what the amps can do at each ohm. for instance i would go with a IA 20.1 just what i see which is close to what my subs handle but since i know it can do almost 5k at 1 ohm at 17.9v that would mean i could get the 10.1 and be able to run the sus fine at one ohm with lets say 2.5k maybe 3k at 1 ohm

[Impious 1,476]

You are worrying about shit which does not matter. You don't "know" anything about the performance of a 20.1 if the results you are citing came from a clamp test. Stop paying attention to them. They do not mean what you think they mean. You are misinterpreting the results, and by that I mean you are trying to draw useful information from a flawed test methodology. Toss the results out the window and ignore them. They mean nothing. You are also not going to run 18V in anything but a comp vehicle (well ok, you "could" run higher voltage in a daily system but it's stupid and pointless), so I don't see how that's even relevant aside from the fact clamp tests themselves don't provide any useable information.

Also, setting a goal for your system of providing your subs "rated power" is a naive endeavor. It does not matter for daily listening. For starters, rated power is typically a thermal not mechanical limit as the mechanical limit is related to the enclosure used and other factors. Rated power is not a power requirement. Related to that, you can have a rather large deviation from rated power without significantly affecting audible output. So who cares if you apply 25% less power to the sub? You will not hear it.

None of the regular quality, run of the mill everyday amplifiers that 99% of users own are going to have a large enough difference between rated power and actual output to cause an audible difference. So as stated, these "clamp tests" even if accurate (which they are not, nor do they provide useful information) would just be a dick swinging contest...absolutely zero reason not to just go by rated power as they will be close enough to actual output in almost all instances that audible performance will not be affected.

In the realm of SPL none of the tests are conducted in such a manor to make them a reliable or valid means of comparison, so again not useful.

[grumby13 3]

My setup now is both a daily and competer and I want to run a 16.8 charge since I will be running a single alt setup

[jcarter1885 995]

Haha wow

[grumby13 3]

My upgrade will be all ia setup

[///M5 2,833]

My upgrade will be all ia setup

Making ANY power test even more useless. I don't see the point in comparing amps period, but it is even more absurd if you have already chosen a brand.

[grumby13 3]

it's mainly that i like the subs and amps rather then the crescendo amp and two power acoustik mofo's

[pmureika 31]

it's mainly that i like the subs and amps rather then the crescendo amp and two power acoustik mofo's

What are your goals?

[grumby13 3]

main goal is to stick with one company or brand of amp subs and speakers