By Marta McBrian
When buying a brand new amp, you almost certainly are going to take a glimpse at the technical features. One often found spec is the frequency response. This spec while crucial isn't going to tell the entire story pertaining to how good the amplifier will sound. I will describe the meaning of this term and also give some suggestions on how to interpret it when searching for an amplifier. An amplifier is made to enlarge an audio signal sufficiently in order to drive some loudspeakers to medium or large volume. Makers typically present the frequency range over which the amp functions. Ordinarily a lower and upper frequency are listed, for instance 20 Hz - 20 kHz. This kind of specification indicates that the amp has the ability to amplify music inside this frequency range. Yet, there is certainly a lot more to comprehending the amplifier's functionality than just reviewing these figures.
An amp is only able to work within a particular frequency range. Any signals outside of this range are going to be eliminated. Therefore the frequency response provides a crucial clue about whether or not a specific amp might be appropriate for a certain application. Normally a lower and upper frequency are shown, for instance 20 Hz - 20 kHz. This kind of spec shows that the amp has the capacity to amplify audio inside that frequency range. You may very well be tempted to pick an amp that offers the greatest frequency response. However, there is much more to comprehending an amplifier's overall performance than merely realizing this simple range.
In reality, an amplifier that has a frequency response from 10 Hz to 30 kHz can in fact have much worse audio quality than an amplifier that has a frequency response from 20 Hz to 15 kHz. Different suppliers apparently utilize different ways to define frequency response. Usually, the frequency response displays the standard working range of the amp. Inside this range, the amp gain is largely constant. At the lower and upper cutoff frequencies the gain is going to decrease by at most 3 decibels. Then again, the frequency response often is utilized in order to mislead customers by way of stretching the frequency range a good deal beyond the range where the amplifier still functions properly and in addition hides the fact that the amp might not be linear. A full frequency response chart, on the other hand, will demonstrate if there are any kind of peaks or valleys and in addition show the way the frequency response is to be understood. Peaks along with valleys may cause colorization of the sound. Preferably the gain of the
In reality, an amplifier that has a frequency response from 10 Hz to 30 kHz can in fact have much worse audio quality than an amplifier that has a frequency response from 20 Hz to 15 kHz. Different suppliers apparently utilize different ways to define frequency response. Usually, the frequency response displays the standard working range of the amp. Inside this range, the amp gain is largely constant. At the lower and upper cutoff frequencies the gain is going to decrease by at most 3 decibels. Then again, the frequency response often is utilized in order to mislead customers by way of stretching the frequency range a good deal beyond the range where the amplifier still functions properly and in addition hides the fact that the amp might not be linear. A full frequency response chart, on the other hand, will demonstrate if there are any kind of peaks or valleys and in addition show the way the frequency response is to be understood. Peaks along with valleys may cause colorization of the sound. Preferably the gain of the
In reality, an amplifier that has a frequency response from 10 Hz to 30 kHz can in fact have much worse audio quality than an amplifier that has a frequency response from 20 Hz to 15 kHz. Different suppliers apparently utilize different ways to define frequency response. Usually, the frequency response displays the standard working range of the amp. Inside this range, the amp gain is largely constant. At the lower and upper cutoff frequencies the gain is going to decrease by at most 3 decibels. Then again, the frequency response often is utilized in order to mislead customers by way of stretching the frequency range a good deal beyond the range where the amplifier still functions properly and in addition hides the fact that the amp might not be linear. A full frequency response chart, on the other hand, will demonstrate if there are any kind of peaks or valleys and in addition show the way the frequency response is to be understood. Peaks along with valleys may cause colorization of the sound. Preferably the gain of the amplifier ought to be linear over the entire working range.
You also need to look at the circumstances under which the frequency response was determined. You generally will not find any specifics about the measurement conditions, however, in the producer's data sheet. One condition which can influence the frequency response is the impedance of the loudspeaker attached to the amp. Normal speaker impedances range from 2 to 16 Ohms. The lower the speaker impedance the greater the load for the amp.
A few amplifiers integrate feedback as a way to compensate for changes in gain caused by different attached loads. Yet another approach is to offer dedicated outputs for various speaker impedances that are attached to the amp power phase by using audio transformers.
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You also need to look at the circumstances under which the frequency response was determined. You generally will not find any specifics about the measurement conditions, however, in the producer's data sheet. One condition which can influence the frequency response is the impedance of the loudspeaker attached to the amp. Normal speaker impedances range from 2 to 16 Ohms. The lower the speaker impedance the greater the load for the amp.
A few amplifiers integrate feedback as a way to compensate for changes in gain caused by different attached loads. Yet another approach is to offer dedicated outputs for various speaker impedances that are attached to the amp power phase by using audio transformers.
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There is more information available about mini stereo amplifiers from Amphony's web site.