Selecting a good audio amplifier for your loudspeakers is not a trivial job. You wish to make sure that your amplifier matches your loudspeakers. I will clarify some essential amplifier terms and give some tips to help you pick the perfect amplifier.
It is tricky to select the best audio amp as a consequence of the large quantity of models. All of these types have different specs. They are based on different technologies and are available in all kinds of shapes and sizes. However, you don't need to be an expert to pick the right model. By following some key rules you won't regret your purchasing decision.
A vital parameter is the size of the amp. You can get models which can fill half a room. In contrast, a number of of the most recent miniature amp types are no larger than a deck of cards. A big number of amplifiers are the size of a typical rack. This enables your amp to be stacked on top of your other audio equipment.
The huge majority of modern audio amps are solid state amplifiers vs more conventional tube amplifiers. Tube amps have been dominant a decade or so ago. Regrettably, tube amplifiers have relatively large audio distortion which describes how much the audio signal is degraded by the amp.
Tube amps will have audio distortion of up to 10%. Solid state amps will have lower audio distortion depending on the amplifier technology that is employed. In the past, mostly "Class-A" and "Class-AB" amplifiers were obtainable which are also referred to as "analog amplifiers". This technology offers fairly low audio distortion. On the other hand, the power efficiency is only 10 to 30%. This means that most of the electrical power supplied to the amp is wasted as heat whereas a small fraction is utilized to amplify the audio signal.
"Class-D" amplifiers, on the other hand, which are also named "digital amplifiers" have a power efficiency of at least 80% and are smaller and have a smaller power supply than similar analog amplifiers. The disadvantage is that many digital amplifiers have larger audio distortion than analog amplifiers although some of the most recent models make use of a feedback mechanism to minimize distortion to levels of 0.05% and below.
When selecting an amplifier, make certain that the output power is enough to drive your speakers. The needed power will be determined by how much power your loudspeakers can tolerate 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 indicates how much power the loudspeaker can handle for small periods of time. The average value on the other hand describes how much power the loudspeaker can handle continuously without damage.
If your listening environment is relatively small then you may not need to drive your loudspeaker to its rated power handling value. You would most likely be good getting an amplifier that can deliver 20 to 50 Watts while your loudspeakers may be capable to handle 100 Watts of power. Notice though that loudspeakers vary in their sensitivity. Typically a low-impedance loudspeaker will be easier to drive to high volume than a high-impedance speaker. Check your amplifier manual to ensure that your amplifier can drive your loudspeaker impedance.
Other essential parameters are the signal-to-noise ratio and frequency response which should be in the order of at least 100 dB signal-to-noise ratio and 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response for high-quality amplifiers.
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You can get further information about audio amplifier technologies and mini amplifier products at Amphony's website.
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