How do i find out how much power an 800 watt 5.1 sound system uses?

Question

i'm trying to find out how many watts this 800 watt sound system uses, i know that watts = volts x amps. the problem is all it gives me120 volts AC and 60 Hz, how would i find out amps? if a product doesn't give amps do i just assume its 1?

if you need this is the thing http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665360000

Answer 1

You dont.

The power output changes as you change the volume or the frequency of the sounds being played.

Generally you care about the amount of power an amp can provide to the 5 speakers.  Since you are looking at a HTIB - they are built to work together.

Answer 2

No you can not assume the unit draws only one amp! Using your own formula and switching it around A=W/V. In English amps equals watts divided by volts and you would get 6.66 amps. Since Sony does not publish a current draw on this amp all you can do is guess but you would be well safe in assuming it will be using less than 800W so your current will be less than 6.66 amps.

Answer 3

Do you mean the power consumption of the A/V system? There is no exact formula for determining the power consumption of the system, however if you have a clamp meter you can measure it then apply P= amp x voltage. For reference or guidance, I have a Sony A/V system at 100w/ch x 5 and it is consuming 265 watts( based on operations manual) Since the system you show is 140W/ch x 5 it could be around 350 watts to 375 watts of AC power.