In(non)credible power ratings

[E-Stat]

i don't think Rotel/NAD misspecifiy the wattage of their products. Simply, they are not class A ...

There are two separate issues here, one irrelevant to the topic of inflated ratings. First of all, NAD doesn't claim to make class A amps. Who says they do? As for ratings, the figures for my T763 receiver aren't inflated as an AB design so long as you reference the FTC continuous rating for all channels driven. Yes you will also find the older and higher IHF rating as well. Flo has not provided any proof to the assertion they engage in "twisting facts". Measured performance of the two NAD products tested by Stereophile in the past five years show no such inflation.

You are correct regarding current capability. My '81 Stasis has one third the power of the NAD, yet it weighs a good bit more. It is designed to drive difficult loads and served that role very well for nearly twenty years driving full range electrostats. It also runs a much higher bias for class A operation up to about ten percent output. It uses a 1.2kVa transformer and thirty-two 150 watt output devices for simply 100 watts / channel. Consequently, it uses no active protection circuitry at all. But again, I see drive capability as a separate issue to the OP's topic!



If you want to view power inflation using absurd levels of distortion, follow SVI's latest entry in the computer audio section.

rw

edit: Sorry, I see we agree. I guess I'm still in fighting BS mode with one individual...