Author: Unknown
•11:02 PM
By Mike Heller


I will take a look at a number of audio amplifiers and explain some vital language to aid you pick the best amp for your speakers

There is a variety of different audio amps available that all differ in their specifications, shape and size. This makes it difficult to decide which type to choose. You don't have to be a specialist. Just follow some straightforward guidelines and you ought to be pleased with your amp.

A vital criterion is the size of the amp. You can get models which can fill half a room. In contrast, a few of the most recent miniature amplifier models are no larger than a deck of cards. A big number of amplifiers are the size of a regular rack. This permits your amplifier to be stacked on top of your other audio devices.

Harmonic distortion of tube amps is frequently as large as 10%. Solid-state amplifiers will have lower audio distortion. Still, distortion will depend on the specific audio amplifier technology. The most conventional amplifiers utilize a "Class-A" and "Class-AB" technology. These amplifiers are also called "analog amplifiers". Audio amplifiers which are based on these technologies usually have low harmonic distortion. Also, this technology is quite inexpensive. On the other hand, the downside is that the power efficiency is only in the order of 20% to 30%. Power efficiency describes how much of the electrical power is utilized to amplify the audio as opposed to being wasted as heat. Amps with low power efficiency will require fairly big heat sinks because most of the power is radiated.

An audio distortion of up to 10% is usual for tube amplifiers while solid-state amps have lower audio distortion depending on the specific technology. Several of the most popular technologies in the past have been "Class-A" and "Class-AB" technologies. These technologies use different arrangements to amplify the audio. Amps based on any of these technologies are also named "analog amplifiers". Audio amps which are based on these technologies normally have low harmonic distortion. Furthermore, this technology is relatively economical. However, the drawback is that the power efficiency is merely in the order of 20% to 30%. Power efficiency refers to how much of the electrical power is in fact used to amplify the signal. The remaining part is wasted as heat. An amplifier with low power efficiency will radiate most of its power as heat.

When choosing an amp, ensure that the output power is adequate to drive your speakers. The required power will be determined by how much power your speakers can tolerate as well as the size of your room where you will be listening. There are two values for speaker power handling: peak and average power handling. The peak value indicates how much power the loudspeaker can handle for short periods of time. The average value on the other hand denotes how much power the speaker can handle constantly without harm.

If you have a relatively small listening area then 20 to 50 Watts of power should be enough while your speaker may be rated for 100 Watts or higher. Note though that speakers vary in their sensitivity. Typically a low-impedance speaker will be easier to drive to high volume than a high-impedance loudspeaker. Check your amplifier manual to make certain that your amp can drive your speaker impedance.

Additional vital parameters are the signal-to-noise ratio and frequency response which should be in the order of at the least 100 dB signal-to-noise ratio and 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response for high-quality amps.




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