Why weak wattage?

[Stub Mandrel]

6 hours ago, godathunder said:

Do you think that all manufacturers measure their amps' power output the same way?

 

Do you believe in fairies and a flat earth? 😁

[godathunder]

5 hours ago, TimR said:

 

No. They don't.

 

There will be a THD% accompanying the X Watts at 1kHz. That will tell you how much distortion the amp suffers at that output. The lower the better. 

 

 

it's not just the thd that differs although thats a biggie.

how long did it sustain this output power before limiting kicks in?

at what frequency (was it 20-20k or just 1k)?

what is the crest factor of the signal used?

was the amp degraded or damaged to produce this figure?

are the quoted watts rms, peak, music power or aes (among others)? (aes should be the modern standard but Im still skeptical that it's evenly applied)

what was the ambient temperature when tested?

was the test carried out using a passive or reactive load (can the amp absorb the back emf generated by a speaker and still retain control of the coil)

 

that's just off the top of my head. there is just too much wiggle room to skew results, making the figures pretty easy to inflate and ultimately pointless

 

similarly, I have some led lighting that's marketed as c700w. actual power consumption is nearer 100w so this bullshit isnt just inflicted on the audio sector

[godathunder]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Do you believe in fairies and a flat earth? 😁

 

I have more faith in both than I do in your average piece of audio marketing fluff 

[Stub Mandrel]

4 hours ago, godathunder said:

similarly, I have some led lighting that's marketed as c700w. actual power consumption is nearer 100w so this bullshit isnt just inflicted on the audio sector

 

My Orange Terror is rated 500W. The power consumption is given as 650W. This is unusual (although @agedhorse explained that most amps typically quote a value based on an assumed duty cycle).

 

I also respect Vox; they understate their amp power. The AC30 is comparable to a Marshall 100W. My Vox Valvestate 20 is a 30W amp.

[Beedster]

I plug in my 600w Mesa head and 1516 cab at home, at rehearsals, and on stage. If I want more volume I turn it up, if I want less I turn it down. Occasionally I feel it would be easier to have a smaller and lighter rig for smaller gigs, but I get over it once I hear it

[agedhorse]

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

My Orange Terror is rated 500W. The power consumption is given as 650W. This is unusual (although @agedhorse explained that most amps typically quote a value based on an assumed duty cycle).

 

I also respect Vox; they understate their amp power. The AC30 is comparable to a Marshall 100W. My Vox Valvestate 20 is a 30W amp.

 

The safety regulatory statement for power consumption is required by the standards (UL/cUL/IEC 60065 or 62368) to be stated at a minimum of 1/8-rated "RMS" power at the lowest rated load, which corresponds to a duty cycle of 12.5% (but the manufacturer may at their option use a higher number). This number originated from the hi-fi world where this was considered the approximate duty cycle of an unclipped full range signal (which IMO is unrealistic for bass guitar).

 

If the normal operation of the amp is intended to be compressed, overdriven or distorted, the stated duty cycle may be increased to reflect the additional power consumed under these conditions at the manufacturer's option. Most test labs will test to verify that the amp can sustain the increased duty cycle without failure or presenting a safety/fire hazard under a test sequence called "abnormal conditions" testing, but not always (depending on the lab and the test routine because other abnormal conditions testing elements may suffice). 

[Baloney Balderdash]

200W is plenty for band rehearsals, even with a hard hitting drummer, and plenty loud for small bar sized venues without PA support as well.

 

Trust me, I have plenty of experience with this.

 

In by far most cases bigger venues will have PA support, so amp power is really a non existing issue here.

 

Gigged some smaller outdoor festivals with just a 50W tube amp, with an audience that counted hundreds of people, at quite a few occasions, so yes, I know about this too (a loud noise rock power trio in most of these cases in fact).

 

Also by far most amps comes with both a Volume/Gain knob and a Master Volume, if it is too loud for home practice simply turn it down, and if it should still be too loud, turn down the volume on your bass.

 

Or use a feather to stroke the strings, which I assume the guys complaining about not being able to be heard or hear them self at band rehearsals with a 200W amp must be using (that or they are going for the much sought after mid scooped, famous "wet fart" tone, which is the prime recipe to being completely and utterly buried in a mix consisting of about equal amounts pure mud and absolute fizz).

 

Edited 11 hours ago by Baloney Balderdash

[shoulderpet]

On 07/02/2026 at 10:41, la bam said:

I get a bit / lot confused sometimes.... 

 

With another load of new gear being released at the moment, I can't help wonder the same thing every year... 

 

There's only really 2 uses for an amp - practicing/home use and playing live / in bands. 

 

So why do nearly all the manufacturers sell ranges that are dead set in the middle? And serve neither use? 

 

Ie the 200w class d type? Or 200w class d combos etc... 

 

That's too loud / needless for home and just not practical for gigging and to be honest not much different in price. 

 

I see loads and loads of stuff I'd like to buy second hand, then see it's the weaker version, drives me mad! 

 

Surely it's the same effort to put in a 500w power module as it is a 200w one? 

 

A bass amp used to be a bass amp... Ie you could gig with it without worry, and a practice amp for home was just that. Now it's a minefield out there... 

It depends on exactly what your gigging circumstances are, I have a Mark bass amp that is 300 watts and the band I am in uses a pa and the bass goes through that as well as through the speaker on the combo amp and I am considering downgrading as this amp is absolute overkill for our gigs, I think the loudest I have had it is 9 o clock on the volume, even if we were not using a pa I think the amp produces more volume than I would ever need for our pub gigs.

Edited 3 hours ago by shoulderpet

[Lozz196]

Sadly my band need those watts. Whatever 500/600 watt amp of the studios that I use, through their 810, its on a minimum of 5, otherwise I can’t be heard. It’s the drummist, yet another caffeine fuelled chimp with hammers. 

[Dad3353]

34 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Sadly my band need those watts. Whatever 500/600 watt amp of the studios that I use, through their 810, its on a minimum of 5, otherwise I can’t be heard. It’s the drummist, yet another caffeine fuelled chimp with hammers. 

 

Does your band, with this drummer, play pub gigs..? Does that volume level work, in that context..? 

[Lozz196]

5 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Does your band, with this drummer, play pub gigs..? Does that volume level work, in that context..? 

No, we don’t gig, just rehearse. and the rest of us know that we would be far too loud for a pub sized venue - we’d get halfway through a soundcheck and get thrown out, that kind of volume empties places. Plus the kit itself is bigger than most pub stages.

[BassAdder60]

I was at one time thinking I must have a combination of cabs to achieve 4ohms so i can get max watts from amp !

Now I run an 8ohm MarkBass 122 cab with a 500w head and it’s very loud when it needs to be ! 
One cab solution and easy carry in 

 

I never thought to much about cabs but I now see a decent cab is more important than lots of watts 

 

100w Ampeg V4B very loud amp ! 
not got it anymore as too heavy !