September 23, 2011

“We Said What…?!?” or Measured vs. Calculated Maximum Output

On Facebook today, our fan Jez Minter asked about maximum output specifications. He had read an article from our friends at Mackie about how some manufacturers generate this statistic, and, through no fault of his own, had come away with the basic message that calculated maximum output specifications are inherently flawed and intended to mislead. Given the context for which the article was intended, that’s mostly true.

His question to us was, “Why does EAW publish a calculated maximum output specification?” It’s a very good question, and we had quite the discussion in the engineering hallway. Naturally, we got to the bottom of the controversy and want to set the record straight.

What the Mackie article says is more-or-less correct – more so when dealing with Mackie’s competitors in the guitar store PA market, but less so when dealing with higher end manufacturers like EAW.

When we review the basic assumptions of the article, and we’ll quickly see where things have gone wrong. EAW does not – nor would we ever – follow the calculation process as described in the article. Nor would Mackie. But Mackie’s competitors do use that…