I will have a look at a few audio amplifiers and clarify some essential terms to help you select the best amp for your loudspeakers It is hard to choose the best audio amp because of the large number of models. All of these models have different specs. They are built on different technologies and are available in all kinds of shapes and sizes. This makes it difficult to decide which type to pick. You don't have to be a guru. Just follow some simple suggestions and you should be satisfied with your amp.
It is hard to choose the best audio amplifier due to the large amount of models. All of these models have different specs. They are built on different technologies and come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Still, you don't have to be a guru to select the best type. By following some key rules you won't regret your purchasing decision.
One important parameter is the size of the amp. You can purchase models which can fill half a room. In contrast, some of the latest miniature amplifier models are no larger than a deck of cards. Many units will be the size of a ordinary audio rack so that you can simply stack it on top of your audio equipment.
An audio distortion of up to 10% is typical for tube amplifiers while solid-state amps have less audio distortion depending on the specific technology. The most traditional amplifiers utilize a "Class-A" and "Class-AB" technology. These amplifiers are also named "analog amplifiers". This technology offers rather small audio distortion. Though, 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.
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 amp and power supply to be made much smaller than analog amplifiers. Because of the switching output stage, digital amps generally have higher harmonic distortion than analog amplifiers. On the other hand, some of the latest models are capable to minimize distortion to 0.05% and lower by employing a feedback mechanism.
The amplifier should be capable to offer adequate output power to sufficiently drive your loudspeakers which will depend not only on how much power your speakers can tolerate but also on the size of your listening environment. Speaker power handling is given as peak power which denotes the maximum amount of power during short bursts whereas average power refers to how much power the speakers can tolerate constantly.
If your listening environment is relatively small then you may not need to drive your speaker to its rated power handling value. You would most likely be good having an amp that can provide 20 to 50 Watts while your loudspeakers might be capable to handle 100 Watts of power. Notice however that loudspeakers differ in their sensitivity. Generally a low-impedance speaker will be easier to drive to high volume than a high-impedance loudspeaker. Check your amplifier manual to make sure that your amplifier can drive your speaker impedance.
Last but not least, ensure that your amplifier introduces little noise and has a broad enough frequency response. High-quality amplifiers will have a signal-to-noise ratio of no less than 100 dB and a frequency response of at least 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
It is hard to choose the best audio amplifier due to the large amount of models. All of these models have different specs. They are built on different technologies and come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Still, you don't have to be a guru to select the best type. By following some key rules you won't regret your purchasing decision.
One important parameter is the size of the amp. You can purchase models which can fill half a room. In contrast, some of the latest miniature amplifier models are no larger than a deck of cards. Many units will be the size of a ordinary audio rack so that you can simply stack it on top of your audio equipment.
An audio distortion of up to 10% is typical for tube amplifiers while solid-state amps have less audio distortion depending on the specific technology. The most traditional amplifiers utilize a "Class-A" and "Class-AB" technology. These amplifiers are also named "analog amplifiers". This technology offers rather small audio distortion. Though, 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.
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 amp and power supply to be made much smaller than analog amplifiers. Because of the switching output stage, digital amps generally have higher harmonic distortion than analog amplifiers. On the other hand, some of the latest models are capable to minimize distortion to 0.05% and lower by employing a feedback mechanism.
The amplifier should be capable to offer adequate output power to sufficiently drive your loudspeakers which will depend not only on how much power your speakers can tolerate but also on the size of your listening environment. Speaker power handling is given as peak power which denotes the maximum amount of power during short bursts whereas average power refers to how much power the speakers can tolerate constantly.
If your listening environment is relatively small then you may not need to drive your speaker to its rated power handling value. You would most likely be good having an amp that can provide 20 to 50 Watts while your loudspeakers might be capable to handle 100 Watts of power. Notice however that loudspeakers differ in their sensitivity. Generally a low-impedance speaker will be easier to drive to high volume than a high-impedance loudspeaker. Check your amplifier manual to make sure that your amplifier can drive your speaker impedance.
Last but not least, ensure that your amplifier introduces little noise and has a broad enough frequency response. High-quality amplifiers will have a signal-to-noise ratio of no less than 100 dB and a frequency response of at least 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
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