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Picking The Perfect Audio Amplifier For Your Speakers

Looking at modern audio amplifier devices, one cannot help but be daunted by the number of technologies and models. I will aid you understand some of the essential amplifier jargon expressions. This knowledge will aid you select the right amplifier.

Audio amplifiers are the main connection between your source such as a DVD or Blu-Ray player and your loudspeakers. An amplifier will convert the fairly weak source audio into a signal strong enough to drive your loudspeakers.

Even though some audio sources have already a built-in amplifier, a separate amplifier gives you more flexibility for picking the model that best complements your speakers. Some of today's miniature amplifier types can be concealed virtually anywhere due to their small size.

When choosing an amplifier, your first concern probably is the amplifier output wattage. You will need a high wattage if you are driving speakers with a low sensitivity (expressed in dB/W), for driving speakers in big rooms or for outdoor speakers. You shouldn't employ an amplifier with significantly higher output power than your speakers can handle. Overdriving your speakers may do irreparable damage to your speakers.

However, a 20 to 50 Watt amplifier will give you more than adequate power in many situations so don't be overly concerned about the rated amplifier wattage.

Amplifier wattage is given either as rms or continuous power which shows how much power the amplifier can deliver continuously or as maximum or peak power which shows how much power the amp can supply for short periods of time. You should choose an amplifier that has sufficient rms power, even though 10 to 30 Watts ought to be enough for most uses but has enough headroom for peaks that occur in music signals.

There are other parameters that are more significant than wattage when picking an amplifier. One significant parameter is known as total harmonic distortion or THD in short. No amplifier is ideal. There will be some amount of signal distortion which is created by the amplifier. The level of distortion is expressed in percent or dB. The level of distortion varies between amplifier types. A smaller distortion means higher audio quality. Audiophile-grade amps will have distortion figures of at most 0.05% whereas consumer-grade amps have distortion of up to 10%.

Signal-to-noise ratio is another amplifier characteristic. This number describes the amount of noise which the amplified will add to the audio. The figure is expressed in dB. Higher-end amplifiers will attain a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 100 dB whereas consumer grade amplifiers will usually have a signal ratio of at least 80 dB.

There are a number of amplifier technologies available. Today's amplifiers are mostly Class-D amplifiers. Class-D amplifiers have a high power efficiency and waste little energy as heat. Some of today’s mini amplifiers are no bigger than a deck of cards. However, when picking a Class-D (digital) amplifier, be certain that the amplifier has little distortion and a high signal-to-noise ratio.