Detailed Information

R.I.P.S. stands for "Regulated, Intelligent Power Supply" and is a central feature of JL Audio's HD and MHD amplifiers.

"Regulated" means that the power supply adjusts its operation so as to maintain the amplifier's rated power output and low distortion operation over a wide range of battery supply voltages (11V-14.5 V). This contrasts with conventional, "unregulated" power supplies, which allow rail voltages to sag in direct proportion to drops in the supply voltage. This can result in significant power losses when battery voltage decreases, even if those voltage dips are short in duration. As a consequence, this manifests itself audibly as increased distortion. With a JL Audio R.I.P.S.-equipped amplifier, the rail voltage and clean power output remain completely stable in real-world systems, resulting in superior fidelity and stability.

The "Intelligent" portion of the R.I.P.S. System is a circuit that actually monitors output current to optimize the amplifier's output power over a wide range of load impedances (from 1.5 ohm to 4 ohm per channel).

Conventional amplifiers are designed to produce optimum power at a particular impedance (2 ohms, for example). When asked to run above that impedance (say, 4 ohms), these amplifiers lose power (half their power from 2 ohms to 4 ohms). This will not happen with R.I.P.S. equipped JL Audio amplifiers because the system detects the actual impedance being driven and adjusts the amplifier's operation to deliver optimum output. The entire process is seamless, automatic, and results in incredible dynamics for satellite channels and consistent power output for a wide range of subwoofer configurations. It also takes into account the real impedance of the system, rather than relying on often inaccurate assumptions based on a speaker's rated impedance.

The bottom line: Optimum power is achievable, at any impedance between 1.5 ohm and 4 ohm per channel, at any vehicle voltage between 11V and 14.5V.