Can we get some DATA about how much power is in each channel PLEASE?!?

[Head_Unit]

Surely a channel that doesn't play the lower frequencies requires less power, and therefore will not clip as readily?

It will use less average power. But the peak power can still be high, and it's peak power that clips amplifiers. The filtering...a transformer is kind of a pair of inductors, stepping up voltage. That's vaguely how a Taser or cattle prod can step up the voltage from a small battery. It's something of a similar effect; I frustratingly cannot remember the exact explanation any more.

 

[Head_Unit]

Thanks. Very interesting. So I am presuming that this is the case with all amps/channels, not just those in multi-channel amps/AVRs...

How what is the case? That highpass or lowpass does not reduce the peak power need? That seems to be true. Or did you mean the power "droop" as you drive more and more channels?

 

[Chrispy]

Somewhere in some thread on some forum posted actual measured data (using Audacity or such) showing the LCR peak power ran about 10 dB higher than the peaks in the surrounds. Could those who are set up for it do some more measuring like that and post the results? It has a huge implication for recommendations about adding amplifier channels or adding amplifiers to replace internal channels.

The nature of surround audio mixed levels, and sounds fine.

 

[danadam]

Many thanks for the reply, but I still don't really understand why?
Surely a channel that doesn't play the lower frequencies requires less power, and therefore will not clip as readily?

Let's say you have a signal like this (audio in attachment):

That's 1 second of 50 Hz tone with a click in the middle (the waveform above is 2000 samples from the middle). If you remove that tone, the click will "move up" and exceed full-scale:

 

[Head_Unit]

The nature of surround audio mixed levels, and sounds fine.

Huh? What do you mean by that?

 

[peng]

Many thanks for the reply, but I still don't really understand why?
Surely a channel that doesn't play the lower frequencies requires less power, and therefore will not clip as readily?

Many responses already but I would like to add one more point to consider, that is, voltage clipping can occur under low power demand as well. The popular use of "power" is one reason for a lot of confusions. I wish people put more emphasis on voltage and current instead of power.