Average Audio Power.

most cannot deliver their rated power for much more than the crests of the wave when the drums go bang for a few milliseconds every few seconds, and if they did, you'd find to your disappointment the speaker ratings are very much the same, and do not represent anything like a safe steady state power input, more a transient that can be briefly survived. Steady state rating would be about 10% of nameplate figure if you are lucky.

What exactly do you need to know for ? - also realise that it is not a single figure but is very frequency dependant, as is speaker impedance.

The only sure fire way is to capture voltage and current waveforms and multiply them.

Mike.

Audio output figures are at best an advertising claim and at worse an outright lie.

I have seen a rack of audio amplifiers in a nightclub with a claimed total output of over 12,000 watts. The lot was on  one 15 amp fuse, which had never blown.

Have also seen car audio systems with a claimed output of over a kw, connected to the 12 volt battery via a 30 amp fuse.

The only accurate way to measure the output power is with an audio watt meter. An approximation may be made by measuring the mains INPUT power with a plug in energy meter and assuming an efficiency of 50 %

I am involved with sound equipment at present. I am using very good quality speakers such 12inch Eminence or Fane professional types.

 When designing a system  I need to know accurate figures to provide adequate sound volume and also to match equipment and prevent damage to speakers or overloading of amplifiers.

Z.

I have found that many amplifiers do not provide the correct R.M.S. output as stated. This is also the case with loudspeaker ratings. So loudspeakers could be damaged if actually powered up to the rating on the box/plate.

www.youtube.com/watch

Z.

It is very technical.

Vhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQCoS_ZLDw0

Z.

I remember many years ago the claims by sellers of audio equipment consisted of complete lies. Add power from this that and tother that can`t possibly all run at once and you`d see an advertised figure of 1Kw run from a 10W supply etc. Some sellers do this so other sellers do until rules and laws are tightened up. Isn`t that always the case with businesses. Look back at some of the TV adverts of the 60s & 70s and compare with what they`d get away with today. Treat any info you get from any source at all with a large dollop of salt and you`d still fall far short of your expectations I`m afraid.

Another example from the 70s, travel industry, it was normal practice for holiday firms to offer you a Ten Day Holiday, if the plane took off at 1 hour to midnight and landed at 1 hour past midnight then both of these where counted as 1 day each in the advertising. To what extent it is tightend up nowadays I`ve no idea. Could it be 12 hours equals 1 day these days perhaps ?