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Picking The Perfect Audio Amplifier For Your Home Theater

By: Gunter Fellbaum

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Picking the best audio amplifier can be daunting given the huge number of diverse models and technologies. I will describe some basic amplifier expressions and aid you pick the perfect model regardless what your exact use may be.

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

Depending on your application, you may desire to go with a source that already has a built-in amplifier. Still, utilizing a separate amplifier will give you more flexibility in picking the type that best complements your speakers. Some of today’s mini amplifier models are small sufficient to hide them practically everywhere.

Most people will look at amplifier wattage first when choosing an amplifier. Output wattage is the level of power the amplifier is capable to deliver to the speakers. Driving low-sensitivity speakers (sensitivity is expressed in dB/W) calls for fairly high wattage. Furthermore, driving outdoor speakers or speakers in a large room will require higher amplifier power. Don't overdrive your speakers though because this may irreparably damage your speakers.

Though, amplifier wattage is not everything. Good sound quality is most likely more significant than raw power. A 20 to 50 Watt amp ought to be sufficient for most real-world applications.

Amplifier output power is given in Watts rms (continuous) and Watts peak. The rms or continuous value tells you how much power the amplifier can deliver constantly while the peak power figure tells the highest wattage that the amplifier can deliver for short periods of time. Usually you should choose an amplifier based on rms power. However, make sure that the amplifier has adequate headroom or peak power to eliminate clipping of music signals.

There are other parameters that are more significant than wattage when selecting an amplifier. One important parameter is referred to as total harmonic distortion or THD in short. Every amplifier will introduce some imperfections into the audio signal which is referred to as distortion and expressed in percent or dB. A smaller distortion number means a lower distortion of the audio signal by the amplifier. Audiophile-grade amps will have distortion figures of at most 0.05% whilst consumer-grade amps have distortion 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. Higher-end amplifiers will attain a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 100 dB whilst consumer grade amplifiers will normally have a signal ratio of at least 80 dB.

There are several amplifier technologies available. Modern amplifiers are mostly Class-D amplifiers. Class-D amplifiers have a high power efficiency and waste little energy as heat. Class-A and Class-AB amplifiers require a fair amount of heat sinking and thus are typically relatively large and heavy. In contrast, amplifiers based on the Class-D technology are small and lightweight. Some of today's smallest mini amplifiers are no bigger than a deck of cards. Class-D type amplifiers frequently have higher distortion and a lower signal-to-noise ratio than Class-A or Class-AB amplifiers. Some latest digital amplifier models, however, come very close to the audio quality of analog amps. Make sure that the amp has low distortion and a high SNR if you pick a Class-D amp.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Gunter Fellbaum has been developing audio and other electronic products for over 10 years. You can find additional information about audio amplifier technologies and mini amplifier products at Amphony's website.

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