What is the difference between peak power and rms

Many manufacturers also use a maximum max power rating. A max power rating generally indicates the maximum amount of power that can be safely sustained without resulting in failure. Typically, this is a more realistic maximum specification than the arbitrary use of peak power. RMS power on the other hand, is how much power that amplifier will continuously put out — or how much continuous power your speaker can handle.

RMS values are typically much lower than peak power ratings, but they more accurately represent what an amplifier or speaker is truly capable of. Think of RMS as a true listening rating. Although not a perfect means of comparison, most RMS ratings are comparable — especially when measuring among name brand products. So what should we take away from this? When shopping around for a speaker or amplifier, it is important to look for the RMS power rating. Remember, peak power is simply the absolute highest amount of power the amplifier or speaker can handle before failing.

Max power is the highest amount of power that can be safely sustained. RMS is continuous power handling at sustained listening level. We do not recommend that you use the peak, max, PMPO or dynamic power rating when configuring your system because it does not reflect the products capability under everyday use. Manufacturers still advertise peak power because most consumers are unaware of its meaning. Peak power is used to make a product seem more powerful than it actually is, sometimes even four, five or six times more powerful than the RMS rating.

Please ignore Peak Power Ratings. When buying an amplifier for speakers I recommend a ratio of 1. It is ok to use a W amp on a W speaker, but you would probably be far from getting the most out of it. Just don't let the amp clip because you could easily cook the driver. More on this next time.

Call me on if you need more help or send us an enquiry online. Mains power is a SINE wave. Audio signals are usually much more complicated than this, but a SINE wave is very useful for measuring and demonstrating output power.

The problem with measuring A. The problem with this is that it only takes the extremes into account. Also, peak measurements for an amplifier are different to those of a speaker. What is really needed is a measurement of the overall average level over time. Firstly, Square all values along the sine wave. This means multiply each voltage along the wave by itself, which gives a larger value but more importantly, turns all the negative values into positive.

Finally, calculate the square Root of this average to bring the values back to normal size. This provides a true mathematical average of the wave. However, audio especially music is not usually a SINE wave and is very irregular, with lots of different frequencies, peaks and transients.

For instance, the beat of a bass drum only happens briefly but is usually the loudest peak. For an amplifier, the peak output measures higher than the RMS output and the amplifier can actually deliver it.