Description

This article is from the Car Audio FAQ, by Ian D. Bjorhovde (ianbjor@mobileaudio.com) with numerous contributions by others.

6.5 What class am I in? [HK, JSC]

This section is mainly geared toward IASCA.

[HK,JSC write:]

There are three classes: novice, amateur, and pro. The novice class is
intended to be an unintimidating level where beginners can start out;
however, a competitor may only be in the novice class for one year, at
which time he is automatically moved to the amateur class. Most
competitors stay in the amateur class indefinitely, unless they become
affiliated with a car audio shop or manufacturer, at which point they
are moved into the pro class.

[CD writes:]

Are you or were you employed by a car audio manufacturer or dealer?

_Yes:_
You compete in pro

_No:_
Is this your first year of competing?

_Yes:_
You compete in novice for the first year

_No:_
You compete in amateur

Note that modifying your amplifiers, buying your equipment below
retail, or being sponsored by a manufacturer or dealer will get you
kicked into pro.

Also note that any home built active gear in the signal path (e.g.
custom built equalizers, crossovers, or noise gates) will get you
kicked out of novice.

Once you know what group you are, you next need to know what power
category you are in. Add up the 4-ohm non-bridged rating of all your
amplifiers, including your head unit if your head unit is powering
speakers (rather than exclusively feeding amplifiers). Then, find the
category you fit into:

     Novice             1-150       151-300     301-600     601+
     Amateur            1-150       151-300     301-600     601+
     Pro                1-150       151-300     301-600     601+
     Expert             1-600                               601+

Thus, if you had a Rockford Punch 4040 (20Wx4) and a Punch 60ix
(30Wx2), with a head unit that put out 6Wx2 (powering, perhaps, a
center channel) you're in the 151-300 class. It does not matter if
your amps are bridged down to .002 ohms; it's only the 4ohm rating that
counts. If you no longer used your head unit to power speakers, you
would be in the 1-150 class.

Competition is usually most vicious in the 151-300 and 301-600
categories at typical contests.

 

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