Why do people talk so much about Max Power in yahoo Q's?

Question

i mean really, max power mean little to nothing. this is the only forum i have been on that people even consider talking about max power. i know some people may not be knowledgable and don't know the difference between max and rms values, but for those of us that do we should really be trying to inform these people of the difference...instead of encourging it like saying ..."you need to get an 800w 4 channel amp for you 4 100w speakers" and then explain that the amp "will do 100w rms and you should be fine"

so for those of you reading this and wonder "what really is the difference"

max power - means the sub/amp has the potential of achieving this number for a short period of time with out being damaged.

rms power - the power that the sub/amp can handle continusly with out experiencing any problems. (usually 1/2 or less of the max rating) (i've seen pioneer subs to be 1/3 of max)

a word of caution - quality brands always give rms values, if you don't see, dont buy the prod

Answer 1

I thought you were going to be talking about Homer Simpson. aka, Max Power!!!

Answer 2

Most of the people asking the questions have nothing to go by except the markings on the amp or the box.  If you're not an expert, and your amps says **1200 WATTS** on it, then when you ask about it you'll be calling it a 1200-watt amp.  People coming into car audio stores to shop for amplifiers do exactly the same thing.

Knowledgeable people who answer the questions will usually point out the difference between peak power and RMS ratings.  Many of us endorse the CEA-2006 standard also.