Picking The Right Audio Amplifier For Your House

Looking at today's audio amplifier products, one cannot help but be overwhelmed by the number of technologies and models

. I will explain some basic amplifier terms and help you pick the best model no matter what your particular application might be.

Audio amplifiers are the basic link between your source such as a DVD or Blu-Ray player and your speakers. An amplifier will convert the fairly weak source audio into a signal strong enough to drive your speakers.

Even though some audio sources have already a built-in amplifier, a separate amplifier gives you more flexibility for picking the model that best complements your speakers. There are some miniature amplifier models available. These models are small enough to hide virtually anywhere.

When picking an amplifier, your first consideration probably is the amplifier output wattage. You will need a high wattage if you are driving speakers with a low sensitivity (expressed in dB/W), for driving speakers in large rooms or for outdoor speakers. However, be careful not to overdrive your speakers. This can damage your speakers beyond repair.

But don't be overly concerned about wattage. An amp supplying 20 to 50 Watts will give you more than plenty of power to sufficiently drive a speaker in any but the largest room.

Amplifier output power is given as Watts rms (continuous) and Watts peak. The rms or continuous value tells you how much power the amplifier can deliver continuously while the peak power figure tells the maximum wattage that the amplifier can deliver for short periods of time. You should choose an amplifier that has sufficient rms power, although 10 to 30 Watts should be plenty for most applications but has enough headroom for peaks that occur in music signals.

Audio quality is just as important as having enough audio power and therefore you should also look at figures such as total harmonic distortion or THD. No amplifier is perfect. There will be some amount of signal distortion which is caused by the amplifier. The amount of distortion is expressed in percent or dB. A high-quality amplifier will have a low distortion figure. The amount of distortion will be less than 0.05% for a high-quality amplifier. Consumer type amplifiers have higher distortion figures. Typical figures are up to 10% depending on the output power.

Another specification is called signal-to-noise ratio. This number specifies how much undesired components such as hum and noise the amplifier will add to the audio signal. Higher-end amplifiers will achieve a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 100 dB while consumer grade amplifiers will typically have a signal ratio of at least 80 dB.

Most of today's amplifiers are so-called Class-D amplifiers which means that they have higher power efficiency than Class-A or Class-AB amplifiers and therefore waste little energy as heat. High power efficiency has led to the development of very small amplifiers. Some of these latest mini amplifiers are no bigger than a deck of cards. Many Class-D amplifiers, however, have higher distortion and a lower signal-to-noise ratio than Class-A or Class-AB amplifiers. Be sure to look closely at these numbers when picking a Class-D type amplifier.

by: Gunter Fellbaum

POST COMMENT

Advice On Exterior House Painting Benefits Of Painting The Outside Of Your House Controlling Termite Infestation In Houses Kerala Houseboat Makes you Backwater Tour Delightful and Memorable Direct Mail Tips to Ensure Quality From Your Mailhouse Buy Foreclosure Houses: Securing A Smart Investment Beginners Guide To Foreclosure House Auctions Construct Your Web House Enterprise With Nothing at all Marvelous Rules To Save On Beautiful City Detroit Rooming Houses And Have Family Enjoyment Or Biz Tr Get You House Inspected By A Professional Torrance Certified Home Inspector Hermosa Beach Certified Home Inspector Has God A Sound Knowledge To Do The Inspection Of Your House Make your house stronger with the right building materials House Cleaning Tips To Help You