Recent amps appear in all shapes and sizes. Finding the perfect model for your application may often be tricky. There is a large number of different names and terms describing power amps, just like "Class D" or "T-amp". Also, each producer publishes a big amount of specifications, including "SNR", "dynamic distortion" et cetera. I am going to describe the term "amplifier power" a bit more in this piece of writing. "Wattage" is one of the most essential terms describing amplifier functioning. Nonetheless, it is time and again misunderstood. A few producers also in the past have used this term in a confusing manner in order to conceal the actual performance.
Amplifier specifications are from time to time tough to interpret since they are not fully standardized. As such it might be hard to figure out the actual functioning of the amplifier just by looking at the specifications. One decent technique however is to do a listening trial ahead of buying your power amplifier. Through this trial you ideally want to install the amplifier in a similar environment as your application. Next I will provide a few details concerning "amplifier output power". This spec is often misunderstood. It is important to look fairly closely at how the maker publishes this parameter. "Output power" shows how loud your amp may drive your loudspeakers. If you have a small space then you don't need much more than several watts. If you wish to set up loudspeakers in the open or in a live show then you will need several hundred watts of power. For best audio quality, you may wish to go with an amplifier which offers bigger output power than you need since many amplifiers will exhibit increasing distortion once the music power goes up.
Power is either given as "Watts peak" which means the amplifier can create short bursts of this level of power or "Watts rms" which describes how much wattage the amp may deliver for a longer amount of time. The peak power spec in the past frequently led to vendors stating huge wattage ratings for tiny amps. On the other hand, in reality those amplifiers would not be able to sustain bigger amounts of output power for larger periods of time.
Music and voice is not constant in terms of volume. Thus the peak power rating is still important, though not as significant as the rms power rating. Ideally the amp is going to show both the rms and peak power spec. Having a large peak power spec will guarantee enough headroom for power peaks which are widespread in music signals. This is since at certain moments the signal is going to have peaks of power that by far surpass the average output power of the signal.
Though, be aware of the fact that the largest output power also depends upon what model of speakers you are utilizing, in particular the impedance of the loudspeakers. Speakers usually have impedances between 4 and 8 Ohms. Amps have a restricted output voltage swing due to the fixed internal supply voltage. As such the largest output power is going to vary depending on the loudspeaker impedance. The smaller the speaker impedance the bigger the maximum power the amplifier is able to output. If the maximum power is not referenced to a speaker impedance, you should contact the manufacturer. Typically a 4-Ohm speaker is used as a reference.
Amplifier specifications are from time to time tough to interpret since they are not fully standardized. As such it might be hard to figure out the actual functioning of the amplifier just by looking at the specifications. One decent technique however is to do a listening trial ahead of buying your power amplifier. Through this trial you ideally want to install the amplifier in a similar environment as your application. Next I will provide a few details concerning "amplifier output power". This spec is often misunderstood. It is important to look fairly closely at how the maker publishes this parameter. "Output power" shows how loud your amp may drive your loudspeakers. If you have a small space then you don't need much more than several watts. If you wish to set up loudspeakers in the open or in a live show then you will need several hundred watts of power. For best audio quality, you may wish to go with an amplifier which offers bigger output power than you need since many amplifiers will exhibit increasing distortion once the music power goes up.
Power is either given as "Watts peak" which means the amplifier can create short bursts of this level of power or "Watts rms" which describes how much wattage the amp may deliver for a longer amount of time. The peak power spec in the past frequently led to vendors stating huge wattage ratings for tiny amps. On the other hand, in reality those amplifiers would not be able to sustain bigger amounts of output power for larger periods of time.
Music and voice is not constant in terms of volume. Thus the peak power rating is still important, though not as significant as the rms power rating. Ideally the amp is going to show both the rms and peak power spec. Having a large peak power spec will guarantee enough headroom for power peaks which are widespread in music signals. This is since at certain moments the signal is going to have peaks of power that by far surpass the average output power of the signal.
Though, be aware of the fact that the largest output power also depends upon what model of speakers you are utilizing, in particular the impedance of the loudspeakers. Speakers usually have impedances between 4 and 8 Ohms. Amps have a restricted output voltage swing due to the fixed internal supply voltage. As such the largest output power is going to vary depending on the loudspeaker impedance. The smaller the speaker impedance the bigger the maximum power the amplifier is able to output. If the maximum power is not referenced to a speaker impedance, you should contact the manufacturer. Typically a 4-Ohm speaker is used as a reference.