Curious about what % of amplifiers amperage rating is used when on but not amplifying audio (Transformer is just as warm so must be using some) One of those guys that falls asleep with system running and video ends (no audio) Direct me to previous answer (did search 1st)
Thanks
JC western BTown
Depends on the amplifier and what class it is (A, B, A/B, H, D, etc). Class A/B and D are usually the most common. Pure class A amps are the least efficient, use the most power when idling, and run the hottest but have been touted by the old school guys as the best sounding amplifiers. Class A/B amplifiers try to bridge the gap between power and efficiency a little bit. The more a class A/B amp is biased towards class A, the longer (the amount of watts/amps used before switching) it will stay in class A before switching and the power it will use when idling.
I have a Threshold S/300SE which is class A/B (two channel), but biased to class A pretty heavily. This thing idles at about 80ish watts if memory serves. I also have a Cinepro 3K6SE (6 channel), which is spec'ed at around 300 WPC, and this idles at around 60ish watts I believe. I forget what the Adcom 7 channel amp idles at, but I remember the Outlaw (ATI built) 755 5 channel class A/B amp I had idled at around 20 watts. I seem to remember the class D Crown XLS 2500 idling at under 10 watts IIRC.
I'm 95% sure the amps are the least of my worries if I fall asleep with the system on. The cable box draws about as much energy as a refrigerator and the plasma TV's aren't far behind. I had a kilawatt that I had used to measure this stuff with a couple years ago.
