The FTC may consider dropping the Amplifier Rule.

[3dbinCanada]

The FTC has recently announced reviewing its current rule, formally known as: “FTC Trade Regulation Rule Relating to Power Output Claims for Amplifiers Utilized in Home Entertainment Products”, or simply as the “Amplifier Rule”. The FTC reviews its rules every ten years, and it’s that time again for the Amplifier Rule. This is when the consumer protection agency opens the rule up to comment from concerned citizens. Without their governing body and resultant guidelines/rules, the American consumer will have even less protection from unscrupulous manufacturer practises such as misleading advertisement and false output power claims. As a result, American consumers may have little legal recourse against such manufacturers.

Please go to the link provided below and address your concerns.

https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=FTC-2020-0087-0001

Amir gave me permission to create this link. This for all amplifiers be it seperates, AVRs, and integrated.

 

[rccarguy]

Great that probably means a 16 channel poweramp will be rated with one channel driven at 10%thd 1khz 6 ohm.

 

[DonH56]

There are two or three other threads on this topic as well.

The deadline is February 16, 2021 so get your comments in!

 

[Beershaun]

Gene has also posted the request over at audioholics with a suggested comment to cut and paste for our convenience.
https://www.audioholics.com/amplifi...-rule-help-protect-home-audio-consumers-today

 

[Beershaun]

Submitted

 

[Beershaun]

bump. 579 comments @amirm is it possible to make this a sticky until the 16th to see if we can get all your members to comment?

 

[Dennis Murphy]

I know the dude who's in charge of handling the comments at the FTC, and you're making life miserable for him. Keep up the good work.

 

[MarcT]

Submitted.

 

[GD Fan]

Submitted, with minor modifications.

 

[amirm]

@amirm is it possible to make this a sticky until the 16th to see if we can get all your members to comment?

Sure, made it sticky.

 

[GDK]

Apparently, even non-Americans can provide comments!

 

[Chrispy]

Sure, made it sticky.

FWIW this one has also been going https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/ftc-may-drop-amplifier-rules.20225/

 

[3dbinCanada]

Apparently, even non-Americans can provide comments!

This ruling will affect Canadians as well.

 

[Head_Unit]

I know the dude who's in charge of handling the comments at the FTC, and you're making life miserable for him. Keep up the good work.

 

[3dbinCanada]

Standardization in the market place will help protect consumers from being taken advantage of in the same light as the cable and interconnect companies are doing now with the gullable audiophile. Actually, I would love to see a strict NA wide standard be put in place in amplifier measurements (including AVR) and to start levying fraud charges to the interconnect and cable industries for misleading advertising. Audiophilia needs to be cleaned up.

 

[restorer-john]

Apparently, even non-Americans can provide comments!

Because your standards changed the entire world in terms of audio specifications and honesty.

That, my friend, needs to be stood up for and protected (even from the other side of the world).

 

[martijn86]

Apparently, even non-Americans can provide comments!

I can imagine. If great ideas or legitimate concerns come from overseas, why ignore it? It's not as if all expert's in the field are from the US.

 

[tvrgeek]

Might as well scrap it as half the specs are flat out lies and the FTC does not have the manpower to police it anyway. Maybe the EU can step in as they seem to like to micro-regulate everything. You can buy $20 2000W amps on e-bay when they have 15A, fuses and run off 12V.

Think about this. FTC class AB power is given at clipping, which is at a reasonable distortion level, but class D technology is so different, it does not compare, so distortion is given at 10%, when at 2 watts less, it may be .001%. Marketing says to advertise the 10% as the number is bigger and we all know, bigger is better! Sad, sad sad. If I was writing specs, I would include a half power spec. Marketing would not like it though as it would make the noise seem higher. The majority of folks do not understand specs so they fall for advertising, which will find a way around any FTC or EU rule.

Don't believe bigger power specs sell? Look at new models who advertise a power increase when they went from 100 W to 105. But halved the power supply filter bank. Then see how many glossy rags review it and fall all over the new more powerful design! Fortunately for us, not here.

Maybe, just maybe honest companies will still provide honest specs. If they don't, then that is another filter for the "not recommended" rating.

 

[Head_Unit]

advertising, which will find a way around any FTC or EU rule.

Hence I literally commented to not allow ANY ratings besides 20-20k all channels driven at distortion less than 1%. However, your note about lack of policing power is a true problem. I'd think there'd be LOTS of volunteers to rat out the rats so to speak, however all is useless if there is no prosecution. Look at the mega-rich and the IRS

 

[Head_Unit]

I know the dude who's in charge of handling the comments at the FTC, and you're making life miserable for him. Keep up the good work.

Status update??? Inquiring minds want to know, instead of getting more meaningful work done