Choosing a good amplifier for your speakers is not a trivial job. You want to make certain that your amp matches your speakers. I will clarify some important amplifier language and give some recommendations to help you choose the best amplifier.
Audio amplifiers appear in all different shapes and sizes. They use different technologies and have numerous technical specs. However, you don't need to be a specialist to choose the perfect type. By following some key rules you won't regret your buying decision.
The most obvious parameter is the size of the amp. There are types that are as big as half your living room while several of the most recent mini amplifier models are as tiny as a bar of soap. A big number of amplifiers are the size of a regular rack. This allows your amplifier to be stacked on top of your other audio equipment.
Tube amps will have audio distortion of up to 10%. Solid state amps will have lower audio distortion depending on the amplifier technology that is employed. A few 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. Amplifiers based on any of these technologies are also known as "analog amplifiers". Whereas amps using these technologies normally have low audio distortion, power efficiency is only 10% to 30%. This means that most of the electrical power provided to the amplifier is wasted as heat whereas a small fraction is used to amplify the audio signal.
"Class-D" amplifiers, though, which are also named "digital amplifiers" have a power efficiency of at least 80% and are smaller and have a smaller power supply than similar analog amplifiers. The downside is that many digital amplifiers have larger audio distortion than analog amplifiers although several of the most recent models employ a feedback mechanism to reduce distortion to levels of 0.05% and lower.
The amplifier should be capable to deliver enough output power to sufficiently drive your speakers which will depend not only on how much power your speakers can handle but also on the size of your listening area. Loudspeaker power handling ability is specified as peak power and average power. The peak power value refers to how much power the speaker can handle for a short period of time while the average power handling value describes how much power you can drive the speaker at continuously without harm.
If your listening area is relatively small then you may not need to drive your speaker to its rated power handling value. You would probably be good having an amplifier that can provide 20 to 50 Watts although your loudspeakers may be able to tolerate 100 Watts of power. Note however that loudspeakers vary in their sensitivity. Typically a low-impedance speaker will be less difficult to drive to high volume than a high-impedance speaker. Not all amps can drive every speaker impedance. Find out the impedance of your loudspeaker which is given in Ohms. Then take a look at your amplifier manual to ensure that your amplifier can drive this impedance.
Lastly, be certain that your amp introduces little noise and has a broad enough frequency response. High-quality amplifiers will have a signal-to-noise ratio of at the very least 100 dB and a frequency response of at least 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
Audio amplifiers appear in all different shapes and sizes. They use different technologies and have numerous technical specs. However, you don't need to be a specialist to choose the perfect type. By following some key rules you won't regret your buying decision.
The most obvious parameter is the size of the amp. There are types that are as big as half your living room while several of the most recent mini amplifier models are as tiny as a bar of soap. A big number of amplifiers are the size of a regular rack. This allows your amplifier to be stacked on top of your other audio equipment.
Tube amps will have audio distortion of up to 10%. Solid state amps will have lower audio distortion depending on the amplifier technology that is employed. A few 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. Amplifiers based on any of these technologies are also known as "analog amplifiers". Whereas amps using these technologies normally have low audio distortion, power efficiency is only 10% to 30%. This means that most of the electrical power provided to the amplifier is wasted as heat whereas a small fraction is used to amplify the audio signal.
"Class-D" amplifiers, though, which are also named "digital amplifiers" have a power efficiency of at least 80% and are smaller and have a smaller power supply than similar analog amplifiers. The downside is that many digital amplifiers have larger audio distortion than analog amplifiers although several of the most recent models employ a feedback mechanism to reduce distortion to levels of 0.05% and lower.
The amplifier should be capable to deliver enough output power to sufficiently drive your speakers which will depend not only on how much power your speakers can handle but also on the size of your listening area. Loudspeaker power handling ability is specified as peak power and average power. The peak power value refers to how much power the speaker can handle for a short period of time while the average power handling value describes how much power you can drive the speaker at continuously without harm.
If your listening area is relatively small then you may not need to drive your speaker to its rated power handling value. You would probably be good having an amplifier that can provide 20 to 50 Watts although your loudspeakers may be able to tolerate 100 Watts of power. Note however that loudspeakers vary in their sensitivity. Typically a low-impedance speaker will be less difficult to drive to high volume than a high-impedance speaker. Not all amps can drive every speaker impedance. Find out the impedance of your loudspeaker which is given in Ohms. Then take a look at your amplifier manual to ensure that your amplifier can drive this impedance.
Lastly, be certain that your amp introduces little noise and has a broad enough frequency response. High-quality amplifiers will have a signal-to-noise ratio of at the very least 100 dB and a frequency response of at least 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
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