Selecting the ideal audio amplifier can be overwhelming given the large number of different types and technologies. I will aid you understand some of the essential amplifier jargon expressions. This know-how will help you choose the right amplifier.
Audio amplifiers are indispensable because your audio source such as your DVD or Blu-Ray player does not provide a signal powerful adequate to drive your speakers. The amplifier will be the bridging element to your speakers. It will convert the weak source signal to a signal strong enough to drive your speakers.
Even though some audio sources have already a built-in amplifier, a separate amplifier offers you more flexibility for choosing the model that best complements your speakers. Some of today’s miniature amplifier models can be concealed nearly everywhere due to their small size.
Output wattage is one of the criteria that most people will consider first when selecting an amplifier since driving low-sensitivity speakers or driving speakers in large rooms or outdoors requires fairly high wattage. You shouldn’t utilize an amplifier with considerably higher output power than your speakers can handle. Overdriving your speakers can do irreparable damage to your speakers.
However, amplifier wattage is not everything. Good sound quality is possibly more important than rare power. A 20 to 50 Watt amp should be sufficient for most real-world applications.
Amplifier wattage is given either as rms or continuous power which shows how much power the amplifier can deliver constantly or as maximum or peak power which shows how much power the amp can output for small periods of time. Typically you ought to pick an amplifier based on rms power. On the other hand, make certain that the amplifier has adequate headroom or peak power to avoid clipping of music signals.
There are other parameters that are more crucial than wattage when selecting an amplifier. One imperative parameter is referred to as total harmonic distortion or THD in short. Every amplifier will introduce some imperfections into the audio signal which is known as distortion and expressed in percent or dB. The amount of distortion varies between amplifier types. A smaller distortion means higher audio quality. Audiophile amplifiers will have distortion numbers of usually less than 0.05%. Consumer-grade amplifiers will have distortion figures of up to 10%.
Signal-to-noise ratio is another amplifier characteristic. This number describes the amount of noise which the amplified will add to the audio. The figure is expressed in dB. Audiophile-grade amps will have an SNR of 100 dB or higher. Consumer-grade amps will have at least 80 dB signal-to-noise ratio.
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 consequently waste little energy as heat. High power efficiency has led to the development of extremely small amplifiers. Some of these most recent mini amplifiers are no bigger than a deck of cards. On the other hand, when choosing a Class-D (digital) amplifier, be certain that the amplifier has little distortion and a high signal-to-noise ratio.
