CEA-2006 Amplifier Rating Standard

Conditions for valid CEA-2006 rating:

• 14.4V supply voltage
• Continuous sine wave test tone (specified frequency)
• Both channels driven simultaneously (multichannel amps)
• At stated THD+N percentage (typically ≤ 1%)
• Temperature stabilized

Why this matters:

Without CEA-2006, amplifier power ratings are essentially marketing: - "1000W MAX" = peak, single channel, at threshold of destruction - CEA-2006 1000W RMS = continuous, all channels, ≤ 1% THD

Converting from MAX claims:

P_rms_honest ≈ P_max / 4  (rough heuristic for uncertified amps)

A "1000W MAX" amplifier typically delivers 200–300W RMS per channel in honest measurement.