By Sherry Lambert
Looking at some of the technical specs of recent audio amps, one cannot help but be at a loss in trying to evaluate different products and terms, for example "t-amp", "THD" et cetera. I am going to describe the term "amplifier power" a bit more in this piece of writing. "Output power" is one of the most fundamental terms describing amplifier functioning. Then again, it is frequently misunderstood. A few companies also in the past have used this term in a perplexing manner to hide the true performance. Some of the terms which amplifier manufacturers show often are misleading and do not necessarily give a decent indication of the real functioning of the amplifier. Let me now go ahead and explain the wattage spec of audio amplifiers.
Amp specifications are now and again difficult to decipher since they are not fully standardized. As such it may be difficult to discover the actual performance of the amp only by focusing on the specifications. A decent method however is to do a listening test prior to paying for your audio amplifier. Throughout this test you ideally want to install the amp in a similar environment as your use. Next I am going to give several details concerning "amplifier output power". This rating is time and again misunderstood. It is important to look fairly closely at how the maker publishes this rating. "Wattage" is sometimes also called "Power" or "amplifier output power". To put it in a nutshell, "wattage" relates to how high the amplifier can drive your speakers. The higher this number the louder your loudspeakers. Depending on your application, you can go with a tiny ampli
Amp specifications are now and again difficult to decipher since they are not fully standardized. As such it may be difficult to discover the actual performance of the amp only by focusing on the specifications. A decent method however is to do a listening test prior to paying for your audio amplifier. Throughout this test you ideally want to install the amp in a similar environment as your use. Next I am going to give several details concerning "amplifier output power". This rating is time and again misunderstood. It is important to look fairly closely at how the maker publishes this rating. "Wattage" is sometimes also called "Power" or "amplifier output power". To put it in a nutshell, "wattage" relates to how high the amplifier can drive your speakers. The higher this number the louder your loudspeakers. Depending on your application, you can go with a tiny amplifier delivering just a few watts or a bigger one delivering several hundred watts. Many home radios only have amps which have several watts output power which typically is enough for a small room. If you plan to shake your walls then you clearly wish to opt for an amplifier that has up to several hundred watts. Please note that many amps will start clipping the audio as soon as the audio reaches higher wattage. If you wish to enjoy low-distortion audio then you may want to pick an amplifier that will give you higher wattage than you will actually need.
There are 2 widespread ways to display amplifier wattage. These are "peak power" and "rms power". "Peak power" shows how much wattage the amp can deliver to your speakers for a brief burst. On the other hand, "rms power" shows how much power the amplifier can deliver for a prolonged amount of time without being damaged. The peak rating has been to some extent abused by manufacturers showing huge peak audio power while their amplifiers are in reality constructed with small power supplies unable to handle more than merely several watts rms power.
Nowadays many amps will denote rms power that offers a better indication of the amplifier's real performance. On the other hand, please ensure that your amplifier has adequate headroom to avoid clipping of the audio. This is because at specific points in time the signal is going to exhibit peaks of power which by far exceed the average power of the signal.
Usually the impedance of the loudspeakers that you attach to the amplifier will determine how much power the amp can provide. Speaker impedance is measured in Ohms. Typically speakers have an impedance between 4 and 8 Ohms. Because of the limited amplifier supply voltage, the largest output power is going to be half if you connect an 8-Ohm speaker of the peak power which the amplifier can output to a 4-Ohm speaker. Thus often largest output power is shown for a certain loudspeaker impedance.
There are 2 widespread ways to display amplifier wattage. These are "peak power" and "rms power". "Peak power" shows how much wattage the amp can deliver to your speakers for a brief burst. On the other hand, "rms power" shows how much power the amplifier can deliver for a prolonged amount of time without being damaged. The peak rating has been to some extent abused by manufacturers showing huge peak audio power while their amplifiers are in reality constructed with small power supplies unable to handle more than merely several watts rms power.
Nowadays many amps will denote rms power that offers a better indication of the amplifier's real performance. On the other hand, please ensure that your amplifier has adequate headroom to avoid clipping of the audio. This is because at specific points in time the signal is going to exhibit peaks of power which by far exceed the average power of the signal.
Usually the impedance of the loudspeakers that you attach to the amplifier will determine how much power the amp can provide. Speaker impedance is measured in Ohms. Typically speakers have an impedance between 4 and 8 Ohms. Because of the limited amplifier supply voltage, the largest output power is going to be half if you connect an 8-Ohm speaker of the peak power which the amplifier can output to a 4-Ohm speaker. Thus often largest output power is shown for a certain loudspeaker impedance.