Truth in Engineering

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the trade organization for the consumer electronics industry in the United States.

The CEA establishes fair advertisement practices for home audio power ratings. This is described in the CEA-490 test and procedure protocal. 

It defines how the amplifier should be tested for power and signal distortion.

The CEA is a less stringent test then the FTC test that Blue Rose /IQ prefers.

All Blue Rose / IQ products therefore easily meet and exceed the CEA test standards.

The CEA-490 test does NOT require that the amplifier be pre-conditioned at one-eighth of rated total power output.

The power spectrum measurement is then collected with ONE channel at maximum rated power (unlike the more stringent FTC test which drives both channels to full power), with the other channel driven to 1/8 power simultaneously, at 1,000 Hz, in ambient still air of not less than 25°C, for the duration of not less than 5 minutes.

A few companies have stated that the CEA test should not be applied to class D amplifiers, well, this is very creative.... but just plain wrong.

The class of amp operation has nothing to do with the CEA test. It has everything to do with the overall amplifier design and output capability, most significantly the size, power reserves, and thermal capability of the power supply.

If the amp you are considering cannot meet the CEA spec, we suggest you ask why they cannot.....

Good Listening from Blue Rose / IQ.