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Such as, THD, separation, etc?
I am helping a guy who is considering starting up an amp mfg. company. We just don't know where to turn for testing.
Thanks for any help,
Hukk
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Many companies even do their own EMI testing and can self certify FCC compliance.
The most basic level of Underwriters Laboratories Product Certification will cost between $40,000 to $80,000 and goes up. As for the FCC, only transmitters and antennas are currently required to be tested in a laboratory accredited to ISO 17025, not required for say a turntable, speaker or bandwidth limited audio only amplifier.
There are worldwide, over 830 boutique manufacturers of what we think of as “High-End” audio products. The vast majority of which are very small shop producers, either one man operations or very small 2 to 5 employee affairs. They may produce one hundred units a year or less of any given model. As such the overhead, read expense, of full on “Certification” such as you would find from the likes of Sony or Bose will not be found here.
To give an example, although I do not wish to single out a particular manufacturer, this is just to illustrate my point. Take the Brown Electronics Labs amplifier, the BEL1001, Mr. Brown once told me that he only did a manufacturing run of his amp once a year, between 150 to 200 units and that was it. The total run depended on his past months orders from dealers, gauging his next years orders. The point being at that time his amp was around $2,400 retail at dealers, that means the Gross income before expenses for Mr. Brown was only $240,000 at best for a given year. Take the parts cost, shop expense, insurance, etc., and his net profit was likely far below $100,000. At that time the BEL amp was well known in audio circles and a popular product in the High-End market. For many boutique manufacturers today who are not as well known as Brown they will not sell anywhere near that number per year. There are some that will not sell even fifty units in a year.
To Illustrate that last point, take the early years of Apogee and Hill's Plasmatronics speakers. The first Apogee product was the Full-Range ribbon, their top of the line speaker and yet over its total run less than 85 pairs were ever made and from what I have heard between 200 and 300 pairs of its replacement the Diva. True, they eventually did make thousands of pairs of Duettas and there's no telling how many thousands of speakers Magnepan has produced over the years but those are exceptions. In the case of the Plasmatronics, definitely a boutique product of its era, the 1980s, the total number known is less than 80 pairs ever made.
A last example, Julius Futterman with his OTL amp the H3 was known to solder them up on a portable table at his home back in the 60s. You can bet they never went through Underwriters Labs.
For a large section of our hobby the most interesting products are more akin to a custom shop turning out a one off hot rod than a factory assembly line churning out a thousand a day of product.
interesting and informative ;-)
Vbr,
Sam
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Dynobots Audio
Music is the Bridge between Heaven and Earth - 音楽は天国と地球のかけ橋
If something is “installed” such as during building construction then it must meet the National Electric Code (NEC) for an inspector to sign off and they will be looking for an UL Listed mark. The term “installed” is used as in a permanent installation such as a built-in home theater or media room.
While the cable assembly itself may not be “UL Listed” its constituent parts may be of “UL Recognized Component” such as the plastic insulation used or the copper wire. But even power cords can be sold in the USA that are not “UL Listed”. However, if such untested product is involved in a loss or fire especially if there is loss of life and even if it is not the direct cause of the loss then it opens the manufacturer up to tremendous product liability. Which in many small High-End audio companies their business liability insurance, if they even carry any which should not be assumed to be the case, would not cover the inevitable tort suit.
Not to say that manufacturers won't be honest about the results of their gear. But, it sure leaves the door open to exaggerated claims and bias.
Dynobots Audio
Music is the Bridge between Heaven and Earth - 音楽は天国と地球のかけ橋
Once marketing gets a hold of engineering data all bets are off.
N/T
"One this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" - Michael McClure
Internally.
The gear is affordable and common and should be available used. Push come to shove you can even do a pretty good job in-band with a computer and sound card running FFT SW.
And you need it on hand anyway to work on design issues, QC production and fix problems.
That your friend doesn't know this sort of thing is not a good omen, don't invest...
Rick
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