Audio amplifiers are available in a flood of different technologies and models. Choosing the perfect model for a particular application seems to be a daunting task. I will explain some basic amplifier terms and help you pick the best model no matter what your particular application might be.
Some audio sources such as surround-sound receivers already come with a built-in audio amplifier. Using a separate amplifier, however, offers some advantages. One advantage is having more flexibility and being able to pick an amplifier that is best suited to drive a particular speaker. Some of today's mini amplifier models can be hidden virtually anywhere due to their small size.
When picking an amplifier, your first consideration probably is the amplifier output wattage. You will need a high wattage if you are driving speakers with a low sensitivity (expressed in dB/W), for driving speakers in large rooms or for outdoor speakers. Don't overdrive your speakers though since this can irreparably damage your speakers.
But don't be overly concerned about wattage. An amp supplying 20 to 50 Watts will give you more than plenty of power to sufficiently drive a speaker in any but the largest room.
There are two conventions for specifying amplifier wattage. The first one specifies how much power the amplifier is able to deliver continuously. That number is often called rms or continuous power. The second number is called peak or maximum power and tells how much the amp can deliver for short bursts. Typically you should select an amplifier based on rms power. However, make sure that the amplifier has sufficient headroom or peak power to avoid clipping of music signals.
However, audio quality is just as important as having enough audio power. Therefore be sure to also look at factors related to the quality of the amplifier. One of these parameters is called total harmonic distortion or THD. No amplifier is absolutely perfect and the amplified signal will include some error components which will distort the signal to some degree. THD is either expressed in percent or dB. The amount of distortion varies between amplifier models. A smaller distortion means higher audio quality. Audiophile-grade amps will have distortion figures of at most 0.05% while consumer-grade amps have distortion of up to 10%.
Signal-to-noise ratio is another amplifier characteristic. This number describes the amount of noise which the amplified will add to the audio. The figure is expressed in dB. Audiophile-grade amps will have an SNR of 100 dB or higher. Consumer-grade amps will have at least 80 dB signal-to-noise ratio.
The majority of today's amplifiers are based on a technology called Class-D which offers higher power efficiency than amplifiers based an Class-A or Class-AB technologies. High efficiency means that little power is wasted as heat which can make the amplifier fairly small. Some of today's mini amplifiers are no larger than a deck of cards. However, when picking a Class-D (digital) amplifier, be sure that the amplifier has low distortion and a high signal-to-noise ratio.
Some audio sources such as surround-sound receivers already come with a built-in audio amplifier. Using a separate amplifier, however, offers some advantages. One advantage is having more flexibility and being able to pick an amplifier that is best suited to drive a particular speaker. Some of today's mini amplifier models can be hidden virtually anywhere due to their small size.
When picking an amplifier, your first consideration probably is the amplifier output wattage. You will need a high wattage if you are driving speakers with a low sensitivity (expressed in dB/W), for driving speakers in large rooms or for outdoor speakers. Don't overdrive your speakers though since this can irreparably damage your speakers.
But don't be overly concerned about wattage. An amp supplying 20 to 50 Watts will give you more than plenty of power to sufficiently drive a speaker in any but the largest room.
There are two conventions for specifying amplifier wattage. The first one specifies how much power the amplifier is able to deliver continuously. That number is often called rms or continuous power. The second number is called peak or maximum power and tells how much the amp can deliver for short bursts. Typically you should select an amplifier based on rms power. However, make sure that the amplifier has sufficient headroom or peak power to avoid clipping of music signals.
However, audio quality is just as important as having enough audio power. Therefore be sure to also look at factors related to the quality of the amplifier. One of these parameters is called total harmonic distortion or THD. No amplifier is absolutely perfect and the amplified signal will include some error components which will distort the signal to some degree. THD is either expressed in percent or dB. The amount of distortion varies between amplifier models. A smaller distortion means higher audio quality. Audiophile-grade amps will have distortion figures of at most 0.05% while consumer-grade amps have distortion of up to 10%.
Signal-to-noise ratio is another amplifier characteristic. This number describes the amount of noise which the amplified will add to the audio. The figure is expressed in dB. Audiophile-grade amps will have an SNR of 100 dB or higher. Consumer-grade amps will have at least 80 dB signal-to-noise ratio.
The majority of today's amplifiers are based on a technology called Class-D which offers higher power efficiency than amplifiers based an Class-A or Class-AB technologies. High efficiency means that little power is wasted as heat which can make the amplifier fairly small. Some of today's mini amplifiers are no larger than a deck of cards. However, when picking a Class-D (digital) amplifier, be sure that the amplifier has low distortion and a high signal-to-noise ratio.
About the Author:
Gunter Fellbaum has been designing audio and electronic products for over 10 years. You can get additional information about t-amp models and stereo amplifier from Amphony's website.
0 comments:
Post a Comment