If you have paid a good amount of money on a pair of good-quality speakers, you want to be certain that you get an amplifier which will offer excellent sound quality while meeting your budget. I will provide various tips on the subject of audio amp devices to help you make the perfect buying decision.
It is hard to select the perfect audio amp due to the large amount of models. All of these models have different specs. They are based on different technologies and are available in all kinds of shapes and sizes. However, you don't have to be a specialist to choose the best model. By following some key rules you won't regret your purchasing decision.
The most apparent parameter is the size of the amplifier. There are types that are as big as half your living room while several of the latest mini amplifier types are as tiny as a bar of soap. Various amplifiers are rack sized. This allows them to be stacked on top of your other audio equipment. The largest part of today's audio amplifiers are based on solid-state technology whereas 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.
The vast majority of modern audio amps are solid state amplifiers versus more conventional tube amps. Tube amplifiers have been prevalent a decade or so ago. Then again, tube amplifiers have rather high audio distortion. Audio distortion refers to how much the audio signal is being degraded whilst passing through the amplifier and is specified in percent. This value is often used when evaluating the audio quality of amplifiers.
In contrast, "Class-D" amps which are also referred to as "digital amplifiers" offer a power efficiency of typically 80 to 90%. This enables the amplifier and power supply to be made much smaller than analog amplifiers. The downside is that many digital amps have higher audio distortion than analog amplifiers although several of the most recent types employ a feedback mechanism to minimize distortion to levels of 0.05% and less.
"Class-D" amplifiers, however, which are also referred to as "digital amplifiers" have a power efficiency of no less than 80% and are smaller and have a smaller power supply than comparable analog amplifiers. The downside is that many digital amplifiers have larger audio distortion than analog amplifiers although a number of of the most recent types utilize a feedback mechanism to reduce distortion to levels of 0.05% and less. The amplifier should be capable to offer adequate output power to sufficiently drive your speakers which will depend not only on how much power your loudspeakers can handle but also on the size of your listening environment. There are two values for speaker power handling: peak and average power handling. The peak value shows how much power the loudspeaker can tolerate for small periods of time. The average value on the other hand describes how much power the speaker can tolerate continuously without damage.
If you have a rather small listening environment then 20 to 50 Watts of power should be plenty even though your speaker might be rated for 100 Watts or more. Low-impedance loudspeakers normally offer high sensitivity and are less difficult to drive to high volume than high-impedance speakers. Be certain that your amp can drive your loudspeaker impedance. You can without problems find the rated speaker impedance range in your amplifier's user manual.
Two additional key parameters to look at when selecting an amplifier are signal-to-noise ratio and frequency response. Signal-to-noise ratio describes how much noise the amp will introduce and should be no less than 100 dB for a high-quality amplifier. The frequency response indicates which audio frequency range the amplifier covers and should be at least 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
It is hard to select the perfect audio amp due to the large amount of models. All of these models have different specs. They are based on different technologies and are available in all kinds of shapes and sizes. However, you don't have to be a specialist to choose the best model. By following some key rules you won't regret your purchasing decision.
The most apparent parameter is the size of the amplifier. There are types that are as big as half your living room while several of the latest mini amplifier types are as tiny as a bar of soap. Various amplifiers are rack sized. This allows them to be stacked on top of your other audio equipment. The largest part of today's audio amplifiers are based on solid-state technology whereas 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.
The vast majority of modern audio amps are solid state amplifiers versus more conventional tube amps. Tube amplifiers have been prevalent a decade or so ago. Then again, tube amplifiers have rather high audio distortion. Audio distortion refers to how much the audio signal is being degraded whilst passing through the amplifier and is specified in percent. This value is often used when evaluating the audio quality of amplifiers.
In contrast, "Class-D" amps which are also referred to as "digital amplifiers" offer a power efficiency of typically 80 to 90%. This enables the amplifier and power supply to be made much smaller than analog amplifiers. The downside is that many digital amps have higher audio distortion than analog amplifiers although several of the most recent types employ a feedback mechanism to minimize distortion to levels of 0.05% and less.
"Class-D" amplifiers, however, which are also referred to as "digital amplifiers" have a power efficiency of no less than 80% and are smaller and have a smaller power supply than comparable analog amplifiers. The downside is that many digital amplifiers have larger audio distortion than analog amplifiers although a number of of the most recent types utilize a feedback mechanism to reduce distortion to levels of 0.05% and less. The amplifier should be capable to offer adequate output power to sufficiently drive your speakers which will depend not only on how much power your loudspeakers can handle but also on the size of your listening environment. There are two values for speaker power handling: peak and average power handling. The peak value shows how much power the loudspeaker can tolerate for small periods of time. The average value on the other hand describes how much power the speaker can tolerate continuously without damage.
If you have a rather small listening environment then 20 to 50 Watts of power should be plenty even though your speaker might be rated for 100 Watts or more. Low-impedance loudspeakers normally offer high sensitivity and are less difficult to drive to high volume than high-impedance speakers. Be certain that your amp can drive your loudspeaker impedance. You can without problems find the rated speaker impedance range in your amplifier's user manual.
Two additional key parameters to look at when selecting an amplifier are signal-to-noise ratio and frequency response. Signal-to-noise ratio describes how much noise the amp will introduce and should be no less than 100 dB for a high-quality amplifier. The frequency response indicates which audio frequency range the amplifier covers and should be at least 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
About the Author:
Get useful information on the subject of t class amplifiers at http://www.amphony.com/products/mini-amplifier.htm .
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar