Marine Electronics Forum - Amplifier Ratings... ???

What's up with these ratings???
How are we supposed to really know what kind of power our amplifier is producing?

I have a Rockford Fosgate P2002.
It's not a marine amplifier, but an older car amplifier.
I realize it's not marine grade and may not last very long, but I have it brand new in the box at zero cost (been sitting in the garage for about 4 years). I figured I will use it until it dies and then replace with some appropriate.

On the front of the amp it says 600 Watts in big bold letters.
when I read the manual and specs it says the following:

50 x 2 @ 4 ohms
100 x 2 @ 2 ohms
200 x 1 bridged @ 4 ohms
Even if you add all of those numbers together it doens't equal 600 watts. :rofl:

Sooooo.... What the Effff???? ;?

If this amp doesn't do the job I'll pull it out and blow another $500-$700 on a suitable amp.

Josh B.

The 600W on the box is the marketing department (This means 600W max for 1/4 sec at 16VDC JK). It does 50W x 2 if you are only driving two speakers.

According to all the on-line information and the Owner's Manual (http://a248.e.akamai.net/pix.crutchfield.com/Manuals/575/575P2002.PDF) the Rockford Fosgate P2002 is a 200W amplifier.

The 2002 is a decent amplifier and you will probably be more than satisfied with it. I was a Rockford Fosgate dealer years ago and they build good products. The used to build great products but like everything else most of the stuff is now built in China. I can remember when you could buy a Power300, 650, or 1000 that was built by hand in Tempe, Arizona!

What's up with these ratings???
How are we supposed to really know what kind of power our amplifier is producing?

I have a Rockford Fosgate P2002.
It's not a marine amplifier, but an older car amplifier.
I realize it's not marine grade and may not last very long, but I have it brand new in the box at zero cost (been sitting in the garage for about 4 years). I figured I will use it until it dies and then replace with some appropriate.

On the front of the amp it says 600 Watts in big bold letters.
when I read the manual and specs it says the following:

50 x 2 @ 4 ohms
100 x 2 @ 2 ohms
200 x 1 bridged @ 4 ohms
Even if you add all of those numbers together it doens't equal 600 watts. :rofl:

Sooooo.... What the Effff???? ;?

If this amp doesn't do the job I'll pull it out and blow another $500-$700 on a suitable amp.

Josh B.

The big WATTS figure on the front of the Boxes is usually "Peak to Peak" (http://myhometheater.homestead.com/rms.html) power, which is deceiving. What you really want to know is what the "RMS" power output is, that is a much more accurate number. Peak to peak is basically what the power can reach at peak moments, not what it can sustain as a normal output. They put peak to peak ratings on the box because it makes it look like it can put out more power than it actually can.

look for RMS - somewhere between 50 and 100 per channel is a good amp..all other ratings are trash...and don't by that "@ 14.4 volts" - look for the rating at 12.5 or so...at 4 ohm...

Put it somewhere that it won't get splashed and I bet it will serve well and for a long time.

RMS = continuous power, i.e. 5 watts

Peak = marketing

Ohms = resistance. Drop to 2 ohms, i.e. less resistance, and the power goes up but so does the stress on the amp.

50 watts at 4 ohms will drive 98% of speakers, install it and be happy in your work.