Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Don't Be Mislead By The Manufacturer Specifications Of Recent Music Amps

By Marta McBrian


The frequency response is one of the most often found parameter in order to define audio amplifiers. Having said that, it might often be misleading and might possibly not offer a good sign of the audio quality. You possibly will not completely understand just how the frequency response is calculated. I'll discuss what precisely this term means. Ideally you'll be able to make a much more informed purchasing decision. An amp is made to enlarge a sound signal sufficiently to drive some audio speakers to medium or large sound level. Producers typically present the frequency range over which the amplifier operates. Generally a lower and upper frequency are provided, for example 20 Hz - 20 kHz. This particular specification shows that the amp will be able to amplify audio inside of this frequency range. You may be lured to decide on an amp that offers the greatest frequency response. However, there is a lot more to understanding an amplifier's functionality than simply knowing this simple range.

Apparently there are lots of ways which suppliers make use of whilst specifying the frequency response. The conventional convention is to show the frequency range inside of which the amplification is going to drop no more than 3 dB from the nominal gain.

Then again, some suppliers push this standard to the limit and will list an upper frequency where the amp is going to barely create a signal anymore. Additionally, simply taking a look at these 2 numbers won't say a lot concerning the linearity of the frequency response. If possible you should really try to get a frequency response diagram from the manufacturer. In this diagram, you'll discover how the amp functions within the frequency response range. You may also discover any peaks and also valleys the amp could have. Peaks along with valleys could potentially cause colorization of the audio. Ideally the gain of the amplifier should be linear throughout the entire operating range. The circumstances under which the frequency response was measured are also necessary to comprehend. The fact is that numerous amplifiers will function in a different way with different speaker loads. This is mainly because that various loudspeaker loads will cause changes to the behavior of the output power stage of the amp.

The conditions under which the frequency response was measured are also necessary to understand. One condition which may influence the frequency response is the impedance of the speaker attached to the amplifier. Normal loudspeaker impedances range from 2 to 16 Ohms. The lower the loudspeaker impedance the higher the burden for the amplifier. Primarily contemporary digital or "Class-D" amps can have changes in the frequency response with various loads. The primary reason is the fact that Class-D amplifiers utilize switching FETs as the power stage which generate a great deal of switching components. These components are eliminated with a filter that is part of the amplifier. A varying loudspeaker load will impact the filter response to some amount. Generally the lower the loudspeaker impedance the lower the highest frequency of the amplifier. In addition, the linearity of the amplifier gain is going to be determined by the load.

A few amplifiers include feedback to compensate for changes in gain resulting from different attached loads. Another approach uses audio transformers between the power stage of the amp and several outputs. Each output was created to connect a different speaker load. This method makes certain that the amplifier will be loaded equally and also enhances amplifier efficiency.




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