It is easy to be confused by the terminology which amplifier manufacturers utilize in order to explain the performance of their products. I will clarify the meaning of one usually used amp specification: "signal-to-noise ratio" to help you make an informed decision when purchasing a brand new amplifier. When trying to find an amp, you first are going to check the price, wattage amid other fundamental criteria. On the other hand, after this initial selection, you are going to still have several models to choose from. Now you will focus more on a few of the technical specs, like signal-to-noise ratio as well as harmonic distortion. Every amp is going to make a certain amount of hiss as well as hum. The signal-to-noise ratio will help quantify the amount of noise created by the amp.
Comparing the noise level of several amplifiers may be accomplished quite simply. Simply collect several versions which you wish to compare and short circuit the inputs. Afterward set the amp volume to maximum and check the level of static by listening to the speaker. You are going to hear some amount of hissing and/or hum coming from the loudspeaker. This hiss is created by the amp itself. Ensure that the volume of the amps is set to the same level. Otherwise you will not be able to objectively evaluate the level of static between several amplifiers. The general rule is: the smaller the amount of hiss that you hear the better the noise performance.
One way in order to accomplish a simple test of the noise performance of an amplifier is to short circuit the amp input and then to crank up the amp to its maximum. Then listen to the speaker that you have connected. By and large you are going to hear 2 components. The first is hissing. In addition, you are going to often hear a hum at 50 or 60 Hz. Both of these are components which are generated by the amp itself. Ensure that the volume of the amplifiers is set to the same amount. Otherwise you will not be able to objectively compare the amount of hiss between different amps. The general rule is: the lower the amount of noise which you hear the higher the noise performance.
The majority of modern power amplifiers incorporate a power switching stage that switches at a frequency around 500 kHz. This switching noise may cause some amount of loudspeaker distortion but is generally not included in the the signal-to-noise ratio which merely considers noise between 20 Hz and 20 kHz.
The most common technique for measuring the signal-to-noise ratio is to set the amplifier to a gain which allows the maximum output swing. Subsequently a test tone is fed to the amplifier. The frequency of this signal is generally 1 kHz. The amplitude of this signal is 60 dB below the full scale signal. Next the noise-floor energy is measured in the frequency range between 20 Hz and 20 kHz and compared with the full scale signal energy.
One more convention to express the signal-to-noise ratio uses more subjective terms. These terms are "dBA" or "A weighted". You will discover these terms in a lot of amp specification sheets. This method was developed with the knowledge that human hearing perceives noise at different frequencies differently. Human hearing is most responsive to signals around 1 kHz. Though, signals under 50 Hz and above 13 kHz are barely heard. The A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio is usually larger than the unweighted ratio and is published in most amplifier spec sheets.
Comparing the noise level of several amplifiers may be accomplished quite simply. Simply collect several versions which you wish to compare and short circuit the inputs. Afterward set the amp volume to maximum and check the level of static by listening to the speaker. You are going to hear some amount of hissing and/or hum coming from the loudspeaker. This hiss is created by the amp itself. Ensure that the volume of the amps is set to the same level. Otherwise you will not be able to objectively evaluate the level of static between several amplifiers. The general rule is: the smaller the amount of hiss that you hear the better the noise performance.
One way in order to accomplish a simple test of the noise performance of an amplifier is to short circuit the amp input and then to crank up the amp to its maximum. Then listen to the speaker that you have connected. By and large you are going to hear 2 components. The first is hissing. In addition, you are going to often hear a hum at 50 or 60 Hz. Both of these are components which are generated by the amp itself. Ensure that the volume of the amplifiers is set to the same amount. Otherwise you will not be able to objectively compare the amount of hiss between different amps. The general rule is: the lower the amount of noise which you hear the higher the noise performance.
The majority of modern power amplifiers incorporate a power switching stage that switches at a frequency around 500 kHz. This switching noise may cause some amount of loudspeaker distortion but is generally not included in the the signal-to-noise ratio which merely considers noise between 20 Hz and 20 kHz.
The most common technique for measuring the signal-to-noise ratio is to set the amplifier to a gain which allows the maximum output swing. Subsequently a test tone is fed to the amplifier. The frequency of this signal is generally 1 kHz. The amplitude of this signal is 60 dB below the full scale signal. Next the noise-floor energy is measured in the frequency range between 20 Hz and 20 kHz and compared with the full scale signal energy.
One more convention to express the signal-to-noise ratio uses more subjective terms. These terms are "dBA" or "A weighted". You will discover these terms in a lot of amp specification sheets. This method was developed with the knowledge that human hearing perceives noise at different frequencies differently. Human hearing is most responsive to signals around 1 kHz. Though, signals under 50 Hz and above 13 kHz are barely heard. The A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio is usually larger than the unweighted ratio and is published in most amplifier spec sheets.
About the Author:
Click this site to help you find additional info regarding home audio amps. Furthermore, have a look at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Audio-Power-Amplifier-Design-Handbook/dp/0240521625.
No comments:
Post a Comment