DY N A M I C PO W E R ME A S U R E M E N T S
About the Dynamic Power Measurements
The Audio Graph PowerCube is a test instrument used to measure the output of an amplifier in accordance with IHF-202 industry standards. The IHF-202 standard is a dynamic power measurement and was developed as a means of measuring power in a manner that best represents the Real World operation of an amplifier. Many manufacturers, including Rockford Fosgate, at times will measure amplifier power into a fixed resistor (4 ohm, 2 ohm). While this method is useful in some types of evaluation and testing, it is not representative of an amplifier that is connected to a speaker and playing music.
Music
Music is dynamic; the sound waves are complex and constantly changing. In order to simulate this, the IHF-202 standard calls for the input signal to the amplifier to be a 1kHz bursted tone. This signal is input (on for 20 milliseconds) and reduced 20dB for 480 milliseconds. The signal is gradually increased in level until the amplifier's output exceeds 1% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). At 1% distortion becomes audible, therefore, any power produced above that level is considered unusable. Many manufacturers represent their amplifiers' output power in excess of 10% distortion. They use many names for this measurement, such as Total Maximum Power or Maximum Output Power. This is not indicative of the actual usable output power.
Listening to Loudspeakers - Not Resistors
A loudspeaker is not a resistor. A resistor's value (resistance measured in ohms) is fixed. A loudspeaker's impedance is dynamic. It is constantly changing in value, dependent upon the frequency of the input signal. Therefore, measuring power with the amplifier loaded into a 4 ohm resistor is not the same as measuring power with the amplifier connected to a 4 ohm speaker. Most people do not listen to music through a resistor.
A 4 ohm speaker may experience a drop in impedance 4-6 times lower than its nominal (printed) impedance. A speaker will also create phase shifts in the signal that is passed through it. These phase shifts happen because a speaker is an inductor (voice coil) and a capacitor (compliance of the surround/spider), as well as a resistor (voice coil wire).
To simulate a speaker the Audio Graph PowerCube measures output power into 20 different loads. It tests at 8 ohms, 4 ohms, 2 ohms and 1 ohm. Each of these impedances is also tested at –60°, –30°, 0°, +30° and +60° phase angles. These different impedances and phase angles repre- sent the shifts in impedance and phase that can occur in a typical loudspeaker.
