What does Sound Approach think about the new Amplifier Rule from the FTC?
What this covers
As promised, we sit down with DJ from Sound Approach to get his opinion on the new FTC Regulations that were released on the Amplifier Rule that went into effect this past August.
Specifically, manufacturers are now required to test their equipment under certain conditions in order to determine the power output. These testing metrics include a consistent temperature, load impedance of 8 ohms, operating within 20-20kHz frequency range, and with no more than 1% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) + Noise (THD+N). Additionally, the amplifier must be continuously run for 5 minutes before measurements can be taken, with all channels being driven (for multi-channel equipment).
Additionally, manufacturers and retailers will also have to disclose whether or not their testing metrics are FTC compliant on their specifications and manuals.
While this is undoubtedly going to be frustrating for some, overall, it seems to be in an effort to standardize power output claims to benefit the consumer and their ability to more easily and readily translate the information being provided. This should lead to a clearer understanding of the information and the ability for consumers to compare and contrast equipment from different brands and/or manufacturers.
For information regarding the regulations as well as an experiment conducted to determine the perception of Noise Distortion in music, please use the below links:
FTC Amplifier Rule Announcement - https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/06/ftc-issues-final-amendments-amplifier-rule-make-testing-methods-more-useful-consumers
Distortion Perception Experiment - https://www.axiomaudio.com/blog/distortion#:~:text=At%2040%20Hz%2C%20listeners%20accepted,the%20masking%20effect%20of%20music.
To review the Amplifier listings at Sound Approach, please visit:
https://soundapproach.com/shop-all-categories/electronics/amplifiers.html
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The FTC's new amplifier regulations establish uniform testing standards that prevent manufacturers from misrepresenting power output, enabling consumers to make fair comparisons and protecting them from deceptive specifications.
- Manufacturers historically inflated power ratings by testing at unrealistic conditions (single frequency, high distortion tolerance) rather than standardized real-world scenarios
- The new FTC standard mandates testing at 8 ohms, 20-20,000 Hz, 1% THD+noise, 77°F, all channels driven, with mandatory compliance disclosure in 14-point font
- This addresses a 50-year gap: the original 1974 amplifier rule lacked enforcement methodology, allowing abuse until the 2024 revision
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The FTC published the first Amplifier Rule in 1974, but it did not specify the testing methodology that manufacturers must use, allowing manufacturers to manipulate measurements
“in the 70s manufacturers began to skew them numbers yes to something else which led to the first instance of the amplifier rule in 1974 the FTC published The Amplifier rule but what it didn't do was go far enough to say what the testing methodology had to be”
The FTC originally proposed a 0.1% THD specification in 2020, but after a 4-year amendment period receiving comments from manufacturers, consumers, and retailers, they revised this upward to 1% THD because many products, especially inexpensive and tube amplifiers, could not meet 0.1%
“the FDC this time around did something that I don't know of ever happening before which is they actually took the amendment period so in 2020 they originally proposed the changes and then they waited four years and took in a whole lot of comments from manufacturers from consumers and from retailers saying what changes need to be made originally they proposed 0.1% THD yeah but manuf there's a lot of there's a lot of products that can't get especially especially tube amplifiers”
Some manufacturers rate amplifier power at a single frequency of 1,000 Hz at 10% distortion, which does not represent realistic musical performance and is not comparable to standardized testing conditions
“there is a manufacturer that starts with some letter in the alphabet that rates their power at one frequency okay a thousand Cycles well that's not realistic that's not realistic that's just a tone right it's not music and the other thing they will do they will say it's one frequency at 10% Distortion”
The new FTC amplifier testing standard requires testing at 77°F, 8 ohms, all channels driven, between 20-20,000 Hz, with no more than 1% THD plus noise, not just distortion and intermodulation noise
“they have set testing conditions at 77 degrees across the board right they have to be at 8 ohms correct operating on all channels driven between 20 and 20,000 khz correct with 1% THD plus noise not just dist and Inter inter modulation noise”
The new FTC regulation requires manufacturers to include a compliance statement indicating whether they meet FTC specifications, and this statement must be in 14-point font and not smaller than the specifications themselves
“everybody has to state whether or not they are in compliance with the regulation...will not they will say we have not met the ftc's standards and they will put it in very fine print the FTC also addressed that has to be in a certain level font it has to be 14o font it cannot be smaller than the specifications themselves”
All manufacturers selling amplifiers in the United States, including European and Pacific Rim manufacturers, must comply with the new FTC regulations or declare non-compliance; there is no regional exemption for imports
“so the curiosity is is the European manufacturers the um pacific rim manufacturers going to adhere to the same standard everybody has to if they're selling in the US okay so so Imports are going to have to follow these same regulations”
Standardized specifications are fundamentally important for consumer products across all measurement domains (weights, distances, power output) and enable fair market competition
“you have standards in measurement across the board for weights for distances we need the same thing for Absolut”
Subwoofers are exempt from the 1% THD standard because distortion in subwoofers is less perceptible to human hearing due to frequency-dependent psychoacoustics; research shows that at lower frequencies, much higher distortion levels (up to 100%) can occur before being noticeable
“the amount of the the amount of distortion in a subwoofer can be greater because it's not perceivable...there was an experiment that was done in Canada and they were trying to measure at what percentage Distortion was noticeable and it really depended on the frequency range...subwoofer stuff the F had to be higher than the actual music signal right to perceive it...100% Distortion is noticeable”
The new FTC amplifier rule includes a 5-minute warm-up period during which the unit must be driven on all channels, which mimics real-world operating conditions rather than measuring capability at a single moment in time
“there's also a warm-up period I think it's five minutes the the unit has to be driven for five minutes with all the channels driven and I think that's important because that um that mimics real world use it's not just what this amplifier is capable of at a certain moment in time it's what the amplifier is capable of when it's operating under the conditions it's meant to be operating under”
Manufacturers not compliant with FTC standards must explicitly state their non-compliance and disclose their alternative testing methodology, allowing consumers to attempt translation, but this creates confusion about whether non-compliance means the product is unsafe or simply untested under FTC conditions
“they can say we're not in compliance with regulations these are the measurements that we're giving you these are the this is the testing methodology we did and then you can try to translate it as best you can...if we say this is not FTC compant because we haven't gotten new numbers from a manufacturer a consumer is going to want to know why is this not compliant is it not compliant because it's not allowed to be sold in the US or is it not compliant because the specifications are”
Some high-quality manufacturers may choose to declare non-compliance with FTC standards even though they meet the standards, if they have already completed testing under alternative methodologies and do not wish to repeat the process
“some very high quality manufacturers may choose to say we're not we're not meeting the standard but they do meet the standard they meet the standard in different ways they may have already gone through the process of testing their equipment creating the specifications creating the manuals which will either have to be redone or it will have to State as of August 12th”
The speaker's company uses the FTC standard (8 ohms, 1% THD+noise, 20-20,000 Hz) for testing amplifiers in their service facility, which has been their testing methodology since their company's founding, based on the speaker's education in electrical engineering at Old Dominion University where exact standards were taught
“our company has had conversation with consumers about yes forever yeah because that's a number that has has the ability to compare...our reasoning for developing that standard in the early days comes out of my education at Old Dominion University in electric engineering there there were exact standards that you met to to test things”
The service facility's testing practice differs from some manufacturers' published specifications: they test all equipment at FTC standard conditions (8 ohms, 1% THD) to reflect real-world performance, not the alternative specifications in manufacturer manuals
“the equipment is rated at something different in their manuals how does that affect we still test test at those yes because we need to know what where real world is yeah not some madeup paper specification”
A grace period exists for compliance with the new FTC amplifier regulations, allowing manufacturers to sell inventory before the deadline, which may delay widespread compliance enforcement for several years
“I think some manufacturers were made aware quickly...however...because that grace period exists so they want to get their inventory out of their Barn before the next shipment or this is going to be something that we see phased in over the next few years I don't think it's something that's going to have a maor right away”
The FTC failed to effectively distribute information about the new amplifier regulations to retailers; information was provided primarily to manufacturers, creating compliance gaps as retailers remain unaware or unable to communicate the requirements to consumers
“well I don't think the FTC this is where I think the FTC failed they did not do a good job dispersing the information I think some manufacturers were made aware quickly...however the FTC did not disperse it to retailers they only gave it to manufacturers”
Retailers will need to continue educating consumers about specification differences even after the FTC regulation takes full effect, because consumers must understand why certain products are non-compliant and how to interpret compliance declarations
“we are still going to have to point out in our conversations with people who call us that variation difference that may exist...it's important to understand that this is out there it is a thing and it is something that you should be paying attention to as a consumer”
The new FTC amplifier regulations will significantly improve consumers' ability to match equipment by enabling fair specification comparison and allow reliance on manufacturer-provided information rather than requiring independent verification
“over time this is going to make a huge difference in being able to match equipment right and to rely on the information you're getting...it's important to understand that this is something geared towards the consumers it's for the benefit of the consumers”
The FTC's new amplifier regulation represents good policy from a consumer protection perspective, and manufacturers' resistance to the standard is their problem, not the regulator's responsibility
“well that's their problem that is their problem a standard make a good product finally a standard”
The new FTC amplifier regulations apply to power amplifiers, integrated amplifiers, receivers, and headphone amplifiers, but do not apply to powered speakers or subwoofers, which are in separate regulatory categories
“now this applies to power amplifiers integrated amplifiers receivers headphone amplifiers it does not apply to powered speakers oh okay powered speakers are separate subers are in a different category too I believe”
Testing methodology will change slightly for the speaker's company due to the new FTC regulations, but the change is minimal because the company has used the FTC standard continuously since founding
“I imagine testing will change a little bit it shouldn't change by much because we use that standard forever well that's true that's true for the same standard to test our the equipment that comes across our desk”
The speaker's company has already reviewed all of its products and determined compliance status for each, submitting statements indicating which products meet or do not meet FTC specifications as of August 12th
“for us as a company um we will need to make a statement on everyone one of our. have already done as soon as we were notified about the change we went through all of our products and all those things that qualified or didn't qualify...it will have to State as of August 12th it will have to State this is compliant or not compant”