I will take a look at some audio amplifiers and describe some important terms to aid you choose the best amp for your speakers Audio amplifiers appear in all different shapes and sizes. They utilize different technologies and have many technical specs. By following some easy suggestions, you will be able to choose the model that best meets your application and budget.
It is difficult to choose the right audio amp as a consequence of the large amount of types. All of these types have different specs. They are based on different technologies and are available in all kinds of shapes and sizes. This makes it difficult to make a decision which model to pick. You don't have to be a guru. Just follow some plain suggestions and you should be pleased with your amplifier.
Nearly all of recent audio amps are based on solid-state technology whilst a small part is based on tube technology which has been popular over a decade ago. Unfortunately, tube amps have quite high audio distortion which describes how much the audio signal is degraded by the amplifier.
An audio distortion of up to 10% is characteristic for tube amplifiers whereas solid-state amps have lower audio distortion depending on the specific technology. Some of the most accepted 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 called "analog amplifiers". Audio amplifiers which are based on these technologies usually have low harmonic distortion. In addition, this technology is fairly inexpensive. On the other hand, the downside is that the power efficiency is only in the order of 20% to 30%. Power efficiency refers to how much of the electrical power is really utilized to amplify the signal. The remaining part is wasted as heat. An amp with low power efficiency will radiate most of its power as heat.
"Class-D" amplifiers, on the other hand, which are also called "digital amplifiers" have a power efficiency of at the least 80% and are smaller and have a smaller power supply than similar analog amplifiers. The disadvantage is that many digital amplifiers have higher audio distortion than analog amplifiers although a few of the latest models employ a feedback mechanism to minimize distortion to levels of 0.05% and below.
When selecting an amplifier, ensure that the output power is adequate to drive your speakers. The required power will be determined by how much power your loudspeakers can handle as well as the size of your space where you will be listening. There are two values for speaker power handling: peak and average power handling. The peak value shows how much power the speaker can tolerate for small periods of time. The average value on the other hand describes how much power the loudspeaker can tolerate continuously without harm.
If your listening area is rather small then you might not require to drive your speaker to its rated power handling value. You would probably be good getting an amplifier that can deliver 20 to 50 Watts despite the fact that your loudspeakers might be capable to handle 100 Watts of power. Low-impedance loudspeakers typically offer high sensitivity and are less difficult to drive to high volume than high-impedance loudspeakers. Not all amplifiers can drive any speaker impedance. Find out the impedance of your speaker which is given in Ohms. Then take a look at your amplifier manual to make sure that your amp can drive this impedance.
Finally, be sure that your amplifier introduces little noise and has a broad enough frequency response. High-quality amps will have a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 100 dB and a frequency response of no less than 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
It is difficult to choose the right audio amp as a consequence of the large amount of types. All of these types have different specs. They are based on different technologies and are available in all kinds of shapes and sizes. This makes it difficult to make a decision which model to pick. You don't have to be a guru. Just follow some plain suggestions and you should be pleased with your amplifier.
Nearly all of recent audio amps are based on solid-state technology whilst a small part is based on tube technology which has been popular over a decade ago. Unfortunately, tube amps have quite high audio distortion which describes how much the audio signal is degraded by the amplifier.
An audio distortion of up to 10% is characteristic for tube amplifiers whereas solid-state amps have lower audio distortion depending on the specific technology. Some of the most accepted 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 called "analog amplifiers". Audio amplifiers which are based on these technologies usually have low harmonic distortion. In addition, this technology is fairly inexpensive. On the other hand, the downside is that the power efficiency is only in the order of 20% to 30%. Power efficiency refers to how much of the electrical power is really utilized to amplify the signal. The remaining part is wasted as heat. An amp with low power efficiency will radiate most of its power as heat.
"Class-D" amplifiers, on the other hand, which are also called "digital amplifiers" have a power efficiency of at the least 80% and are smaller and have a smaller power supply than similar analog amplifiers. The disadvantage is that many digital amplifiers have higher audio distortion than analog amplifiers although a few of the latest models employ a feedback mechanism to minimize distortion to levels of 0.05% and below.
When selecting an amplifier, ensure that the output power is adequate to drive your speakers. The required power will be determined by how much power your loudspeakers can handle as well as the size of your space where you will be listening. There are two values for speaker power handling: peak and average power handling. The peak value shows how much power the speaker can tolerate for small periods of time. The average value on the other hand describes how much power the loudspeaker can tolerate continuously without harm.
If your listening area is rather small then you might not require to drive your speaker to its rated power handling value. You would probably be good getting an amplifier that can deliver 20 to 50 Watts despite the fact that your loudspeakers might be capable to handle 100 Watts of power. Low-impedance loudspeakers typically offer high sensitivity and are less difficult to drive to high volume than high-impedance loudspeakers. Not all amplifiers can drive any speaker impedance. Find out the impedance of your speaker which is given in Ohms. Then take a look at your amplifier manual to make sure that your amp can drive this impedance.
Finally, be sure that your amplifier introduces little noise and has a broad enough frequency response. High-quality amps will have a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 100 dB and a frequency response of no less than 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
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