I will look at some audio amplifiers and explain some fundamental terminology to aid you choose the best amp for your loudspeakers
It is difficult to pick the right audio amplifier as a result of the large number 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. By following some plain rules, you will be able to choose the type that best fits your application and budget.
The most evident parameter is the size of the amplifier. There are models that are as big as half your living room whilst a number of of the newest mini amplifier types are as tiny as a bar of soap. Various amplifiers are rack sized. This allows them to be stacked on top of your other audio equipment. The vast majority of recent audio amplifiers are solid state amplifiers vs more conventional tube amplifiers. Tube amps have been prevalent a decade or so ago. Unfortunately, tube amplifiers have fairly large audio distortion which describes how much the audio signal is degraded by the amp.
The largest part of modern audio amps are based on solid-state technology whilst a tiny part is based on tube technology which has been popular over a decade ago. However, tube amps have rather high audio distortion. Audio distortion refers to how much the audio signal is being degraded while passing through the amplifier and is specified in percent. This value is frequently used when evaluating the audio quality of amplifiers.
An audio distortion of up to 10% is usual for tube amplifiers while solid-state amps have lower audio distortion depending on the specific technology. Several of the most popular technologies in the past have been "Class-A" and "Class-AB" technologies. These technologies use different arrangements to amplify the audio. Amps based on any of these technologies are also referred to as "analog amplifiers". Whereas amps using these technologies usually have low audio distortion, power efficiency is only 10% to 30%. Power efficiency refers to how much of the electrical power is actually utilized to amplify the signal. The left over portion is wasted as heat. An amp with low power efficiency will radiate most of its power as heat.
Another technology is known as "Class-D". This technology provides much higher power efficiency than analog amplifiers, typically around 80 to 90%. "Class-D" amps are also known as "digital amplifiers". Because of the switching output stage, digital amps normally have larger harmonic distortion than analog amplifiers. On the other hand, a number of of the newest types are able to reduce distortion to 0.05% and less by using a feedback mechanism. The amp should be able to offer adequate output power to sufficiently drive your loudspeakers which will depend not only on how much power your speakers can handle but also on the size of your listening area. Speaker power handling is given as peak power which denotes the utmost amount of power during short bursts whilst average power refers to how much power the loudspeakers can tolerate constantly.
If you have a rather small listening area then 20 to 50 Watts of power should be plenty even though your loudspeaker may be rated for 100 Watts or higher. Notice though that speakers differ in their sensitivity. Generally a low-impedance speaker will be less difficult to drive to high volume than a high-impedance speaker. Check your amplifier manual to ensure that your amp can drive your loudspeaker impedance.
Additional significant parameters are the signal-to-noise ratio and frequency response which should be in the order of no less than 100 dB signal-to-noise ratio and 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response for high-quality amplifiers.
It is difficult to pick the right audio amplifier as a result of the large number 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. By following some plain rules, you will be able to choose the type that best fits your application and budget.
The most evident parameter is the size of the amplifier. There are models that are as big as half your living room whilst a number of of the newest mini amplifier types are as tiny as a bar of soap. Various amplifiers are rack sized. This allows them to be stacked on top of your other audio equipment. The vast majority of recent audio amplifiers are solid state amplifiers vs more conventional tube amplifiers. Tube amps have been prevalent a decade or so ago. Unfortunately, tube amplifiers have fairly large audio distortion which describes how much the audio signal is degraded by the amp.
The largest part of modern audio amps are based on solid-state technology whilst a tiny part is based on tube technology which has been popular over a decade ago. However, tube amps have rather high audio distortion. Audio distortion refers to how much the audio signal is being degraded while passing through the amplifier and is specified in percent. This value is frequently used when evaluating the audio quality of amplifiers.
An audio distortion of up to 10% is usual for tube amplifiers while solid-state amps have lower audio distortion depending on the specific technology. Several of the most popular technologies in the past have been "Class-A" and "Class-AB" technologies. These technologies use different arrangements to amplify the audio. Amps based on any of these technologies are also referred to as "analog amplifiers". Whereas amps using these technologies usually have low audio distortion, power efficiency is only 10% to 30%. Power efficiency refers to how much of the electrical power is actually utilized to amplify the signal. The left over portion is wasted as heat. An amp with low power efficiency will radiate most of its power as heat.
Another technology is known as "Class-D". This technology provides much higher power efficiency than analog amplifiers, typically around 80 to 90%. "Class-D" amps are also known as "digital amplifiers". Because of the switching output stage, digital amps normally have larger harmonic distortion than analog amplifiers. On the other hand, a number of of the newest types are able to reduce distortion to 0.05% and less by using a feedback mechanism. The amp should be able to offer adequate output power to sufficiently drive your loudspeakers which will depend not only on how much power your speakers can handle but also on the size of your listening area. Speaker power handling is given as peak power which denotes the utmost amount of power during short bursts whilst average power refers to how much power the loudspeakers can tolerate constantly.
If you have a rather small listening area then 20 to 50 Watts of power should be plenty even though your loudspeaker may be rated for 100 Watts or higher. Notice though that speakers differ in their sensitivity. Generally a low-impedance speaker will be less difficult to drive to high volume than a high-impedance speaker. Check your amplifier manual to ensure that your amp can drive your loudspeaker impedance.
Additional significant parameters are the signal-to-noise ratio and frequency response which should be in the order of no less than 100 dB signal-to-noise ratio and 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response for high-quality amplifiers.