Have you ever came up with confusing jargon while buying electronic stuff? Ever tried to decode that jargon but couldn’t find a fit? Here is one such word you hear or see while buying a speaker or entertainment system – RMS. What Does RMS stand for in Speakers?
What Does RMS stand for in Speakers?
RMS stands for Root Mean Square.
RMS is the Average voltage Level of Electric Signals. Don’t panic! It has nothing to do with hard Math. But how does this Math stuff relate to your Speaker or entertainment system? While buying a sound system apart from the pitch or volume, we would look for power output as well. The experts use two terms Peak Power in Watts or RMS. It is a math term that indicates the average power output of a speaker in the meantime. It is the average of multiple readings of power output. Square rooting those results will give you the RMS. The manufacturers cannot quote a single number just like that as Power Output since it varies with respect to a piece of music. In the packaging, you can find them as RMS Watts. Hope you got your answer for What Does RMS stand for in Speakers.
NOTE: The method of measuring Power Output will vary with respect to companies. So it is not correct to compare. But if you find the products of two different companies which are CEA certified then those are measured with standardized methods. You can compare the ratings to find out the best.
RMS vs PMPO
PMPO – Highest Power Level that the amplifier could handle in a fraction of seconds
PMPO stands for Peak Maximum Power Output and mainly used to make people believe that even 4 RMS speakers can provide 200 Watts of Power Output. It is mainly used while buying amplifiers. In layman terms, you can drive your car at the maximum speed of 180KM/hr but you cannot maintain the same speed for a long time. That’s what PMPO is. The maximum Output it could reach but you can’t get it for a long time.
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What should I consider while buying a Sound system?
Let us take a hypothetical scenario in which you are standing in a shop where you want to buy a Sound system. You find two products A and B. A says 150 W and B says 75 W but both come at the same price. Here a trick is the first is measured in terms of Peak Power and later in terms of RMS. We as a human think 150 W is better and go for it but the actual thing is it would reach 150 W but not always whereas the second one will play 75 W constantly. Most marketers will force on PMPO unfortunately we should look into RMS.
Mostly we don’t have to worry about these RMS or PMPO as it is just one among the secondary deciding factors while buying a speaker. You always have various primary factors to consider while buying, like Speaker type (Stereo, cone, electrostatic or surround), Connection Type ( Wired, Wireless), the size of the room, and finally the Budget.
Do let us know in comment section below on which confusing jargon should we write next.