Budget amplifiers are where specification inflation is worst, because the buyer is most likely to be comparing numbers rather than measurements. We put six sub-$200 amplifiers on the bench under the same conditions we use for everything else.
What we found
Two of the six delivered within 10% of their claimed RMS figure at the rated impedance. Three delivered between 60 and 80%. One claimed 1,200 watts and produced 511 watts before the waveform started to flatten, which is not a rounding error.
Encouragingly, the two honest ones were not the most expensive of the group. Price and honesty were not correlated in either direction.
How to read a budget amplifier listing
- Ignore any figure described as peak, max or dynamic power
- Look for a CEA-2006 or ANSI/CTA-2006 compliance statement, which is a measured standard
- Check the fuse rating: total fuse amps multiplied by roughly 10 is the honest ceiling on output
- A 1,200 watt claim behind a 40 amp fuse is arithmetic that does not work
The fuse test
This is the quickest sanity check available and it needs no equipment. An amplifier cannot output more power than it can draw, and it cannot draw more current than its own fuses allow. Multiply the total fuse rating by the supply voltage, then allow for efficiency, and you have a ceiling the marketing cannot exceed.
A pair of 30 amp fuses gives you about 60 amps, which at 14 volts is roughly 840 watts of input. At Class D efficiency that is perhaps 700 watts out, on a good day. Anything claimed above that is a number, not a measurement.
Where the money goes
A budget amplifier that honestly makes 500 watts will comfortably outperform an expensive-sounding one that actually makes 400. Buy on measured output and spend what you save on the driver. Our full amplifier roundup covers the tier above this one.
