When purchasing a new amp, you almost certainly will take a glimpse at the technical specs. One often found parameter is the frequency response. This spec whilst critical won't tell the full story pertaining to how great the amp will sound. You may possibly not fully grasp how the frequency response is calculated. I'll clarify what exactly this specific expression means. I hope you will be able to make a more informed purchasing decision. An amplifier is able to only work within the particular frequency range. Any signals just outside of this range will be eliminated. Because of this the frequency response offers an essential hint with regards to whether a particular amplifier might be suitable for a specific use. This range is specified by listing two frequencies: a lower as well as upper frequency. By way of example, the lower frequency may be 20 Hz and the upper frequency 20 kHz. Using this spec it seems like the amplifier would be able to function as a HIFI amp. You may very well be tempted to decide on an amplifier that offers the largest frequency response. Then again, there's much more to comprehending an amplifier's overall performance than only knowing this simple range.
An amp is designed to amplify a music signal sufficiently to drive a couple of audio speakers to medium or high sound level. Manufacturers usually publish the frequency range over which the amplifier operates. Commonly a lower and upper frequency are given, for example 20 Hz - 20 kHz. This specification suggests that the amp can amplify music inside that frequency range. Yet, there's much more to understanding the amplifier's performance than merely taking a look at these figures. It seems there are many different approaches that producers utilize when specifying the frequency response. The most frequently used method is to describe the frequency response as the frequency range within which the amplifier has fairly constant amplification with a maximum drop of 3 decibel (dB). Ordinarily the drop in gain is greatest at the upper and lower frequency.
Yet, numerous suppliers disregard this established practice. They push the lower frequency and higher frequency to where the amp rarely offers any kind of gain. Furthermore, these figures tell nothing about precisely how linear the amplifier is functioning within this range. Preferably you should try to obtain a frequency response chart from the manufacturer. In this diagram, you will find the way the amplifier functions inside the frequency response range. It's also possible to discover any peaks or valleys the amp could have. Peaks as well as valleys could potentially cause colorization of the audio. Ideally the amp needs to have a constant gain inside the whole frequency response with the exception of the drop off at the lower and upper limit. In addition to the frequency response, a phase response chart will also say a lot about the overall performance and audio quality of the amplifier.
You also want to look at the circumstances under which the frequency response was determined. You normally are not going to find any specifics about the measurement conditions, however, in the producer's data sheet. Actually amps may have different frequency responses depending on the loudspeaker which is hooked up.
Mostly current digital or "Class-D" amplifiers can have changes in the frequency response with different loads. The reason is the fact that Class-D amplifiers employ switching FETs as the power stage that generate significant amounts of switching components. These components are eliminated by a filter that is part of the amplifier. Then again, the frequency response of the amplifier now varies according to the speaker load since the behavior of this lowpass filter is influenced by the load impedance. Usually the lower the loudspeaker load impedance the lower the upper cut-off frequency of the amplifier A number of amplifier topologies offer a method to compensate for variations in the amplifier gain with different speaker loads. One example of these approaches employs feedback. The amplifier output signal following the internal lowpass is input to the amplifier input for comparison. If not designed correctly, this technique may cause instability of the amplifier though. Another approach utilizes audio transformers between the power stage of the amp and various outputs. Each output was designed to attach a different loudspeaker load. This method makes certain that the amplifier will be loaded equally and also enhances amplifier power efficiency.
An amp is designed to amplify a music signal sufficiently to drive a couple of audio speakers to medium or high sound level. Manufacturers usually publish the frequency range over which the amplifier operates. Commonly a lower and upper frequency are given, for example 20 Hz - 20 kHz. This specification suggests that the amp can amplify music inside that frequency range. Yet, there's much more to understanding the amplifier's performance than merely taking a look at these figures. It seems there are many different approaches that producers utilize when specifying the frequency response. The most frequently used method is to describe the frequency response as the frequency range within which the amplifier has fairly constant amplification with a maximum drop of 3 decibel (dB). Ordinarily the drop in gain is greatest at the upper and lower frequency.
Yet, numerous suppliers disregard this established practice. They push the lower frequency and higher frequency to where the amp rarely offers any kind of gain. Furthermore, these figures tell nothing about precisely how linear the amplifier is functioning within this range. Preferably you should try to obtain a frequency response chart from the manufacturer. In this diagram, you will find the way the amplifier functions inside the frequency response range. It's also possible to discover any peaks or valleys the amp could have. Peaks as well as valleys could potentially cause colorization of the audio. Ideally the amp needs to have a constant gain inside the whole frequency response with the exception of the drop off at the lower and upper limit. In addition to the frequency response, a phase response chart will also say a lot about the overall performance and audio quality of the amplifier.
You also want to look at the circumstances under which the frequency response was determined. You normally are not going to find any specifics about the measurement conditions, however, in the producer's data sheet. Actually amps may have different frequency responses depending on the loudspeaker which is hooked up.
Mostly current digital or "Class-D" amplifiers can have changes in the frequency response with different loads. The reason is the fact that Class-D amplifiers employ switching FETs as the power stage that generate significant amounts of switching components. These components are eliminated by a filter that is part of the amplifier. Then again, the frequency response of the amplifier now varies according to the speaker load since the behavior of this lowpass filter is influenced by the load impedance. Usually the lower the loudspeaker load impedance the lower the upper cut-off frequency of the amplifier A number of amplifier topologies offer a method to compensate for variations in the amplifier gain with different speaker loads. One example of these approaches employs feedback. The amplifier output signal following the internal lowpass is input to the amplifier input for comparison. If not designed correctly, this technique may cause instability of the amplifier though. Another approach utilizes audio transformers between the power stage of the amp and various outputs. Each output was designed to attach a different loudspeaker load. This method makes certain that the amplifier will be loaded equally and also enhances amplifier power efficiency.
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