Car amp has some term and specification that came with it, here are some of them.
The frequency response is the frequency range can be produced by the amp within a certain power range.
The continuous power output is the amp’s power output into one channel into a certain load below a certain distortion level at a certain frequency. A complete specification should have all of the above information. The amp should also be able to keep this power level for some time without having problems like overheating.
The peak power output is the amp’s power output into one channel into a certain load below a certain distortion level at a certain frequency. A complete power specification should have all of the above information. Be aware that some manufacturers will state the peak power output rating including the power amount which can be drawn from headroom, which means power supply capacitors. The manufacturers wont show this on the specification, they tend to prominently display the figure in a big attractive numbers on the box.
Damping factor refers to the load ratio being driven to the amp’s output impedance. The lower the output impedance, the higher damping factor. Higher damping factors means a greater ability to help control the speaker cone’s motion being driven. A tightly controlled motion makes a greater transient response in the system.
Signal to noise ratio or S/N expressed in decibels, it is the ratio of the amount of the amp’s true amplified output to the amount of extraneous noise produced by the amp appear at the output together with the signal.
