When purchasing stereo amps, you probably are going to take a glimpse at the technical features. One often found spec is the frequency response. This spec even though essential isn't going to tell the full story concerning how good the amp is going to sound. You will possibly not fully understand the way in which the frequency response is measured. I am going to clarify what specifically this particular term means. I hope you will be able to make a more knowledgeable purchasing decision.
An amp will magnify a sound signal which is inside the frequency response range. Commonly a lower and upper frequency are listed, for example 20 Hz - 20 kHz. This spec suggests that the amplifier will be able to amplify audio within this frequency range. Yet, there is more to understanding the amplifier's overall performance than simply reviewing these figures.
The truth is, an amplifier with a frequency response from 10 Hz to 30 kHz might actually have much lesser audio quality than an amp which provides a frequency response from 20 Hz to 15 kHz. Different producers seem to utilize different ways in order to establish frequency response. Usually, the frequency response shows the standard operating range of the amplifier. Within this range, the amplifier gain is basically constant. At the lower and upper cutoff frequencies the gain is going to decrease by no more than 3 decibels.
Nevertheless, a lot of producers disregard this convention. They push the lower frequency and higher frequency to where the amplifier rarely offers any gain. On top of that, these numbers say very little about precisely how linear the amplifier is working inside this range. Ideally you should really try to get a frequency response diagram from the producer. In this chart, you'll discover the way the amplifier behaves inside the frequency response range. You can also spot any kind of peaks or valleys the amp may have. You might also desire to request a phase response diagram that provides important hints in regards to the sound quality.
In order to better comprehend the frequency response behavior of a certain type, you should make an effort to figure out under which conditions the response was measured. You will probably find these details in the data sheet of the amp. Then again, the majority of makers are not going to show these in which case you may need to contact the maker directly. The fact is that a large number of amps will work differently with different loudspeaker loads. This is because of the fact that different speaker loads will cause changes to the behavior of the output power stage of the amplifier.
Mainly contemporary digital or "Class-D" amplifiers can have changes in the frequency response with different loads. The main reason is the fact that Class-D amplifiers utilize switching FETs as the power stage which generate significant amounts of switching components. These components are eliminated using a filter that is part of the amp. A varying speaker load will affect the filter response to a point. Normally the lower the loudspeaker impedance the lower the maximum frequency of the amp. Furthermore, the linearity of the amplifier gain will be determined by the load.
Several amplifiers incorporate feedback in order to compensate for changes in gain due to different connected loads. Yet another approach uses audio transformers between the power stage of the amp and various outputs. Each output was designed to attach a different speaker load. This approach makes sure that the amplifier will be loaded equally and also increases amplifier power efficiency.
An amp will magnify a sound signal which is inside the frequency response range. Commonly a lower and upper frequency are listed, for example 20 Hz - 20 kHz. This spec suggests that the amplifier will be able to amplify audio within this frequency range. Yet, there is more to understanding the amplifier's overall performance than simply reviewing these figures.
The truth is, an amplifier with a frequency response from 10 Hz to 30 kHz might actually have much lesser audio quality than an amp which provides a frequency response from 20 Hz to 15 kHz. Different producers seem to utilize different ways in order to establish frequency response. Usually, the frequency response shows the standard operating range of the amplifier. Within this range, the amplifier gain is basically constant. At the lower and upper cutoff frequencies the gain is going to decrease by no more than 3 decibels.
Nevertheless, a lot of producers disregard this convention. They push the lower frequency and higher frequency to where the amplifier rarely offers any gain. On top of that, these numbers say very little about precisely how linear the amplifier is working inside this range. Ideally you should really try to get a frequency response diagram from the producer. In this chart, you'll discover the way the amplifier behaves inside the frequency response range. You can also spot any kind of peaks or valleys the amp may have. You might also desire to request a phase response diagram that provides important hints in regards to the sound quality.
In order to better comprehend the frequency response behavior of a certain type, you should make an effort to figure out under which conditions the response was measured. You will probably find these details in the data sheet of the amp. Then again, the majority of makers are not going to show these in which case you may need to contact the maker directly. The fact is that a large number of amps will work differently with different loudspeaker loads. This is because of the fact that different speaker loads will cause changes to the behavior of the output power stage of the amplifier.
Mainly contemporary digital or "Class-D" amplifiers can have changes in the frequency response with different loads. The main reason is the fact that Class-D amplifiers utilize switching FETs as the power stage which generate significant amounts of switching components. These components are eliminated using a filter that is part of the amp. A varying speaker load will affect the filter response to a point. Normally the lower the loudspeaker impedance the lower the maximum frequency of the amp. Furthermore, the linearity of the amplifier gain will be determined by the load.
Several amplifiers incorporate feedback in order to compensate for changes in gain due to different connected loads. Yet another approach uses audio transformers between the power stage of the amp and various outputs. Each output was designed to attach a different speaker load. This approach makes sure that the amplifier will be loaded equally and also increases amplifier power efficiency.
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