rushfan
Super Member
Hi all,
Is there a fairly simple method for using a multimeter to test the power output of a receiver or amplifier? I am hoping to discover a method that is as easy as checking DC offset.
The output meters of my SX-880 display unevenly most of the time - the left channel is almost always the "louder" channel, as determined by the meters. I might be imagining things, but the left channel seems to have more presence. The difference is subtle and my eyes might be tricking my ears.
I know that I could switch speakers, swap cables and do other kinds of tests, but I would like some kind of empirical evidence that a problem does or does not exist.
Would playing a steady mono signal and measuring the DC voltage at the speaker terminals give me the answer that I need? I am just guessing at this point.
EDIT: It looks like the idea above doesn't work. I played back a -20 dB 1 kHz test file and the multimeter hardly registered a thing. I had it on "VDC" and "200m". Was I doing something wrong? I could hear it loud and clear through the speakers. As I expected, the left channel seemed to be getting a little more power. If I am interpeting the meter correctly, when the left channel is outputting 0.1 watts, the right channel is putting out around 0.08 or 0.09. That was with the mode switch in mono (to negate uneven output from my PC's sound card, an Audiophile 2496).
Thanks for your help!
Is there a fairly simple method for using a multimeter to test the power output of a receiver or amplifier? I am hoping to discover a method that is as easy as checking DC offset.
The output meters of my SX-880 display unevenly most of the time - the left channel is almost always the "louder" channel, as determined by the meters. I might be imagining things, but the left channel seems to have more presence. The difference is subtle and my eyes might be tricking my ears.
I know that I could switch speakers, swap cables and do other kinds of tests, but I would like some kind of empirical evidence that a problem does or does not exist.
Would playing a steady mono signal and measuring the DC voltage at the speaker terminals give me the answer that I need? I am just guessing at this point.
EDIT: It looks like the idea above doesn't work. I played back a -20 dB 1 kHz test file and the multimeter hardly registered a thing. I had it on "VDC" and "200m". Was I doing something wrong? I could hear it loud and clear through the speakers. As I expected, the left channel seemed to be getting a little more power. If I am interpeting the meter correctly, when the left channel is outputting 0.1 watts, the right channel is putting out around 0.08 or 0.09. That was with the mode switch in mono (to negate uneven output from my PC's sound card, an Audiophile 2496).
Thanks for your help!