What does Sound Approach think about the new Amplifier Rule from the FTC?

As promised, we sit down with DJ from Sound Approach to get his opinion on the new FTC Regulations that were released on the Amplifier Rule that went into effect this past August.

Specifically, manufacturers are now required to test their equipment under certain conditions in order to determine the power output. These testing metrics include a consistent temperature, load impedance of 8 ohms, operating within 20-20kHz frequency range, and with no more than 1% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) + Noise (THD+N). Additionally, the amplifier must be continuously run for 5 minutes before measurements can be taken, with all channels being driven (for multi-channel equipment).

Additionally, manufacturers and retailers will also have to disclose whether or not their testing metrics are FTC compliant on their specifications and manuals.

While this is undoubtedly going to be frustrating for some, overall, it seems to be in an effort to standardize power output claims to benefit the consumer and their ability to more easily and readily translate the information being provided. This should lead to a clearer understanding of the information and the ability for consumers to compare and contrast equipment from different brands and/or manufacturers.

For information regarding the regulations as well as an experiment conducted to determine the perception of Noise Distortion in music, please use the below links:

FTC Amplifier Rule Announcement - https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/...

Distortion Perception Experiment - https://www.axiomaudio.com/blog/disto....

To review the Amplifier listings at Sound Approach, please visit:

https://soundapproach.com/shop-all-ca...

As always, we thank you for joining us. Please like and subscribe for more content from Sound Approach! Let's get to 500 subscribers together!