Music and power budgets ?

[Sven]

Bear with me as I throw out some numbers for a sanity check ...

Assume you have a stereo system that claims 4x48 watts power output. At 12 volts that would be 4x4 amps draw, right ? Assuming 100% efficiency.

That would mean that the music would draw 4 times as much as a small water maker.

So, does that mean that music can't be afforded while sailing on a restricted power budget or is there another answer ?



-Sven

 

[Guy Stevens]

Not really

Remember that is max peak power in a ac circuit through a linear amplifier.

I have a really really big stereo on Aiki. I like music, and the admiral said it was on the top of the list for the new boat... So I have 1-700 watt amplifier (which runs 4 speakers and the subwoofer), one 100 watt amplifier (Cockpit speakers), and the stereo amp itself which is 60wx4 which runs 4 other speakers.

2 in the v
2 in the foreward end of the main cabin
2 in the aft end of the main cabin
2 in the aft cabin
2 in the cockpit
1 sub under the v

If I really and I mean Really crank it all up I can draw about 14 amps, but you really don't want to be in the boat at that point, or even in the cockpit.

In normal usage it draws about an amp and a half, to about 4 amps with everything running. With just the cd deck running the main cabin speakers it draws about an amp and a half.

There are some really advanced mathematics that we could use to figure this out, but I am not sure what advantage that would be in the end.

Guy