Audio power is the electrical power transferred from an audio amplifier to a loudspeaker, measured in watts. The electrical power delivered to the loudspeaker, together with its sensitivity, determines the sound power level generated (with the rest being converted to heat).
Amplifiers are limited in the electrical energy they can amplify, while loudspeakers are limited in the electrical energy they can convert to sound energy without distorting the audio signal or damaging themselves. These power ratings are important to consumers finding compatible products and comparing competitors.
Read more about Audio Power: Power Handling, Power Calculations, Continuous Power, Peak Power, Total System Power, Sine Wave Power, PMPO, Power and Loudness in The Real World, 'Music Power' — The Real Issues, Matching Amplifier To Loudspeaker, Power Handling in 'active' Speakers
Famous quotes containing the word power:
“First, there is the power of the Wind, constantly exerted over the globe.... Here is an almost incalculable power at our disposal, yet how trifling the use we make of it! It only serves to turn a few mills, blow a few vessels across the ocean, and a few trivial ends besides. What a poor compliment do we pay to our indefatigable and energetic servant!”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)