My Outlaw Audio 2220 monoblocks pull 11W each in Standby ???

[SonicGeezer]

Was checking the power draw of my gear last night, my "new to me" Marantz PM8005 pulls 0W (doesnt even register) in standby, but my two 2220 monoblock amps were pulling over 22W+ in stanby !? Outlaw Audio claims less than 3W each. They sound totally fine and I have zero issues, but wondering if I should be worried about the power draw. I'm waiting for approval onto their forums.

 

[jazzmans]

that's pretty low.

My carver cube draws (edit)14 watts on, but not amplifying anything. When going full tilt boogie, it draws over 400 watts. Measured using a kill a wat clone.

I'd just turn off the amps when not in use.

none of my gear draws zero watts when on but not actively 'doing' anything.
worst offenders by far are the screens.
my 'puters are all drawing around 10-14 watts running but not doing much. I'm glad I switched to laptop chips, in mini housings for everything. my last home built server drew 100-150 watts all the time. Damn Bulldozer architecture.

 

[SonicGeezer]

Thanks for reply, they draw about 20-25 each turned on but not amping anything, but I was just concerned they were almost 4x more than what the manufacturer claims when in standby.

 

[swechsler]

Does the Outlaw amp actually have a standby mode? Or do you just mean when they are not receiving a signal? I'm not surprised about @jazzmans Carver cube; manufacturers weren't concerned much with power consumption back in the 1970s.

Per this review, it is a class AB design, so I would expect some power draw when not in use, unless it has a built-in signal sensor that turns it off, like powered subs do. I'm not up on modern power amps so I don't know if it's a common feature.

 

[jazzmans]

Does the Outlaw amp actually have a standby mode? Or do you just mean when they are not receiving a signal? I'm not surprised about @jazzmans Carver cube; manufacturers weren't concerned much with power consumption back in the 1970s.

Per this review, it is a class AB design, so I would expect some power draw when not in use, unless it has a built-in signal sensor that turns it off, like powered subs do. I'm not up on modern power amps so I don't know if it's a common feature.

yabbut in his design and literature, Bob touted the efficiency of his amps, claiming they were technically a class A 15 watt amp, then switching up as needed.


I corrected my post, its 14 watts the cube (m400) and m1.5 and pm1.5 draw idling, not 25. the additional 10 watts is the apt holman preamp, which I forgot was also in the loop. (carver m400 is actually plugged directly into the apt, since it doesn't have a power switch)

OP, where do you get this 3 watts number from? the manual does not specify power consumption on idle, I think you may be thinking of it off, but with either the 12v trigger on or the audio input trigger set to on, which would require some power to monitor.

here's the manual

When the switch is set to 12V, the power LED glows
dimly indicating the amp is in Standby mode.

11 watts per machine in idle state, I'm assuming using the 12 v trigger is pretty small.

it appears to be a hybrid class G a/b amp, according to ASR

 

[swechsler]

I corrected my post, its 14 watts the cube (m400) and m1.5 and pm1.5 draw idling, not 25.

I have a couple of Soundcraftsmen PCR-800s, one of the two contemporaneous competitors of the Carver cube (the other being the Adcom GFA-1). It draws somewhere north of 30 watts when idling. But it does have a power switch.

 

[jazzmans]

I have a couple of Soundcraftsmen PCR-800s, one of the two contemporaneous competitors of the Carver cube (the other being the Adcom GFA-1). It draws somewhere north of 30 watts when idling. But it does have a power switch.

I guarantee you the Adcom GFA-1 draws a LOT more power then that running with no signal.
great amps, not very efficient. I'm particularly fond of the Nelson Pass designed Adcoms.

 

[SonicGeezer]

Just to answer a few questions:

1) Yes the 2220 have a standby mode, they draw about 20W+ "on" and not amplifying, and draw 11W in standby. You can hear them go into standby and the blue LED dims to indicate they are in standby.
2) The 3W value came from a forum post on Outlaw Audio's site, but I just realized that it was referencing the 2200 and not the 2220. Manual has no mention of value as you've already noted. The specs of the 2200 are basically identical to the 2220 and the site does specify <3W standby as shown below, so would assume the 2220 would be the same or very close, not 4x more.

 

[swechsler]

Couldn't hurt to email their customer support and ask. But if they're both measuring the same, I suspect that it's by design.

 

[jazzmans]

Agree with @swechsler , I'd take a HUGE grain of salt with any claims efficiency wise from any manufacturer.
just looking at that (beautiful) toroidal transformer I'd be surprised if it had the ability to run at all on >3 watts of power.

How do they sound? They look like real nice monoblocks, and although I've never owned any, Outlaw has a pretty good and long reputation.

 

[SonicGeezer]

These are my first discreet amps and my first monoblocks, so I dont have much to reference but to me they sound great especially for the price.

 

[zenith2134]

Some random data from my collection:
Harman Kardon HK385i receiver: 29W at idle
Yamaha A-S2100 integrated: 71W at idle

Those are nice amps, I would think that either figure (yours or the manufacturer's) would be fine although the actual measured draw is what really counts.

 

[rothwellaudio]

A quick back-of-an-envelope calculation confirms that 11W isn't outrageous. Let's assume a split rail power supply with +50V and -50V. That's 100V from rail to rail. The driver stage of the amplifier might be drawing about 10mA. That means the driver stage alone is dissipating 1W. If the output stage is running with 30mA of quiescent current it is dissipating 3W. If it's running with 100mA quiescent current it's dissipating 10W.
30mA quiescent current is pretty normal. 100mA quiescent current is what might be called generous, but not outrageous. So, drawing 3W at idle seems quite feasible. 11W at idle is also quite feasible.
Basically, nothing to worry about.

 

[Ken Boyd]

I would have never even thought to check on something like that. Unless I was getting large electric bills or something. I mean really who even checks the amp draw at idle on a perfectly good amp that has no issues?

 

[swechsler]

A quick back-of-an-envelope calculation confirms that 11W isn't outrageous.
[...]
So, drawing 3W at idle seems quite feasible. 11W at idle is also quite feasible. Basically, nothing to worry about.

But OP was saying that it draws 11W in standby, not idle.

 

[Lavane]

I should connect my watt meter to my tube amps and tube preamp and see what they draw at Idle. Especially my big mono blocks.

 

[rothwellaudio]

But OP was saying that it draws 11W in standby, not idle.

You are quite correct. Maybe the OP could clarify what state the amps were in when the measurement was made.

 

[rickb119]

Unless I was getting large electric bills or something.

My recently acquired Forte model 3 draws 200w, at idle; which explains the most recent electric bill. It's worth it though.

 

[Lavane]

My recently acquired Forte model 3 draws 200w, at idle; which explains the most recent electric bill. It's worth it though.

I put in solar panels, so its been a non issue me.
But even if I didn't have solar panels, it would still be worth using my tube amps. I keep my AC thermostat at 73° to 74°, 24/7 too in the summer. I rarely pay anything for electricity in the summer.

 

[SonicGeezer]

You are quite correct. Maybe the OP could clarify what state the amps were in when the measurement was made.

As is stated in my original post, I was referring to Standby power draw, not idle.