Several Suggestions In Order To Help Comprehend The Noise Performance Of Latest Stereo Amplifiers

By Sherry Lambert


Are you searching to acquire a new amplifier for your home loudspeakers? You may be dazzled by the number of choices you have. To make an informed selection, it is best to familiarize yourself with frequent specs. One of these specifications is referred to as "signal-to-noise ratio" and is not often understood. I am going to help clarify the meaning of this expression.

Once you have selected a range of amps, it is time to investigate some of the specifications in more detail to help you narrow down your search to one model. Each amp will create a certain level of hiss as well as hum. The signal-to-noise ratio will help compute the amount of hiss produced by the amp.
In order to help you compare the noise performance, amp suppliers show the signal-to-noise ratio in their amplifier spec sheets. Simply put, the larger the signal-to-noise ratio, the smaller the amount of noise the amplifier generates. There are a number of reasons why power amps is going to add some form of noise or other unwanted signal. Transistors and resistors that are part of each modern amp by nature produce noise. Because the amplifier overall noise performance is mostly determined by the performance of components located at the amp input, suppliers will attempt to choose low-noise elements whilst developing the amp input stage.

In order to help you compare the noise performance, amplifier manufacturers show the signal-to-noise ratio in their amp spec sheets. Simply put, the larger the signal-to-noise ratio, the lower the amount of noise the amplifier creates. There are numerous reasons why power amplifiers is going to add some form of hiss or other unwanted signal. Transistors and resistors which are part of each modern amp by nature generate noise. The overall noise depends on how much hiss every element produces. Yet, the location of these components is also vital. Components that are part of the amp input stage are going to in general contribute most of the noise.

The signal-to-noise ratio is measured by feeding a 1 kHz test signal 60 dB below the full scale and measuring the noise floor of the amp. The gain of the amp is
In order to help you compare the noise performance, amplifier manufacturers show the signal-to-noise ratio in their amp spec sheets. Simply put, the larger the signal-to-noise ratio, the lower the amount of noise the amplifier creates. There are numerous reasons why power amplifiers is going to add some form of hiss or other unwanted signal. Transistors and resistors which are part of each modern amp by nature generate noise. The overall noise depends on how much hiss every element produces. Yet, the location of these components is also vital. Components that are part of the amp input stage are going to in general contribute most of the noise.

The signal-to-noise ratio is measured by feeding a 1 kHz test signal 60 dB below the full scale and measuring the noise floor of the amp. The gain of the amp is set such that the full output power of the amplifier can be realized. Subsequently, the noise floor between 20 Hz and 20 kHz is measured and the ratio to the full-scale signal computed. The noise signal at different frequencies is eliminated through a bandpass filter during this measurement.

One more convention to state the signal-to-noise ratio utilizes more subjective terms. These terms are "dBA" or "A weighted". You are going to discover these terms in most amplifier specification sheets. In other words, this method tries to state how the noise is perceived by a person. Human hearing is most perceptive to signals around 1 kHz whereas signals below 50 Hz and higher than 14 kHz are barely heard. The A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio is generally larger than the unweighted ratio and is shown in the majority of amplifier parameter sheets.




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