Power amplifier output according to AES

[cheonmu]

Hello.

I have a total of 4 old JBL 2226H 15" Woofer units.

The specifications of this product say 8 ohms, 600W (AES).

And I want to connect two of these woofers to the woofers in parallel.

But I have a hard time understanding AES.

In the article I read, I saw that when AES is expressed as RMS, the value decreases.

So, if I buy a woofer of 1,000W at a minimum of 4 ohms per channel, can I take full advantage of the performance of this woofer?

I'd like to hear some advice on how much power to buy an amp.

Thank you.

 

[DonH50]

The AES standard specifies pink noise with a crest factor of 12 dB (4:1 peak to average power), at least last time I looked. In any event, the 600 W is the average power (the product of RMS voltage and RMS current is average power -- "RMS power" is not a valid unit though widely used in audio ratings). In this case, AES defines the type of test signal used. And duration, which I believe is two hours. That is, the AES power test is passed if you apply pink noise with a 12 dB crest factor for two hours, and there is no damage to the speaker (driver).

IIRC, the previous AES test used 6 dB crest factor, or 2:1 peak to average power, so if the drivers are older they may follow that older standard. It does not change the average power rating, just how high are the peaks.

How much power you need depends upon more than just the speaker power handling. You need to know the sensitivity of the speaker in its cabinet (usually in dB/W/m), how loudly you want to play (SPL in dB at the listening position), and how far away you are. If the average power exceeds the capacity of your driver, then you'll need to add drivers (and enough power to drive them).

There are many simplified SPL calculators online. Here is one: _Peak SPL Calculator

If the drivers are very old, you should carefully inspect the surround, spider, and cone material to make sure they have not degraded over time, which will reduce their ability to handle high power. Similarly, permanent magnets are not really permanent and lose flux (magnetism) over time, again reducing the driver's maximum output. Finally, some drivers use ferrofluid for cooling, and that tends to evaporate and dry out over time. I do not know if your drivers use fluid cooling.

HTH - Don