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Are you searching to acquire a brand new amplifier for your home loudspeakers? You may be dazzled by the number of options you have. In order to make an informed selection, it is best to familiarize yourself with common terms. One of these specifications is called "signal-to-noise ratio" and is not frequently understood. I am going to help explain the meaning of this term.
Comparing the noise level of different amplifiers may be done fairly simply. Just gather a number of products which you wish to compare and short circuit the inputs. Then put the amplifier gain to maximum and check the level of static by listening to the loudspeaker. The hiss that you hear is created by the amp itself. Then compare several amps according to the next rule: the smaller the amount of hiss, the higher the noise performance of the amplifier. However, keep in mind that you should put all amps to amplify by the same amount in order to evaluate different amplifiers.
You can make a straightforward assessment of the amp noise by short circuiting the amp input, setting the gain to maximum and listening to a speaker connected to the amplifier. Typically you will hear two components. The first is hissing. In addition, you are going to frequently hear a hum at 50 or 60 Hz. Both of these are components which are created by the amp itself. Ensure that the volume of the amps is set to the same amount. Otherwise you will not be able to objectively compare the level of noise between several amps. The general rule is: the smaller the amount of noise which you hear the higher the noise performance.
Most recent power amplifiers include a power switching stage that switches at a frequency around 500 kHz. Consequently, the output signal of switching amplifiers contain a rather big level of switching noise. This noise component, though, is usually inaudible because it is well above 20 kHz. Though, it can still contribute to speaker distortion. Signal-to-noise ratio is usually only shown within the range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. As a result, a lowpass filter is utilized while measuring switching amplifiers to remove the switching noise.
A lot of recent power amplifiers incorporate a power switching stage that switches at a frequency around 500 kHz. This switching noise may result in some amount of speaker distortion but is usually not included in the the signal-to-noise ratio which merely considers noise in the range of 20 Hz and 20 kHz. The signal-to-noise ratio is measured by feeding a 1 kHz test tone 60 dB below the full scale and measuring the noise floor of the amp. The gain of the amp is set such that the full output wattage of the amp can be achieved. Subsequently, only the noise between 20 Hz and 20 kHz is considered. The noise at other frequencies is eliminated by a filter. Subsequently the amount of the noise energy in relation to the full-scale output power is calculated and shown in decibel.
Time and again you will find the term "dBA" or "a-weighted" in your amplifier parameter sheet. A weighting is a technique of showing the noise floor in a more subjective fashion. This technique was developed with the knowledge that human hearing perceives noise at different frequencies differently. Human hearing is most responsive to signals around 1 kHz. However, signals below 50 Hz and above 13 kHz are barely noticed. The A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio is typically larger than the unweighted ratio and is published in most amp spec sheets.
Comparing the noise level of different amplifiers may be done fairly simply. Just gather a number of products which you wish to compare and short circuit the inputs. Then put the amplifier gain to maximum and check the level of static by listening to the loudspeaker. The hiss that you hear is created by the amp itself. Then compare several amps according to the next rule: the smaller the amount of hiss, the higher the noise performance of the amplifier. However, keep in mind that you should put all amps to amplify by the same amount in order to evaluate different amplifiers.
You can make a straightforward assessment of the amp noise by short circuiting the amp input, setting the gain to maximum and listening to a speaker connected to the amplifier. Typically you will hear two components. The first is hissing. In addition, you are going to frequently hear a hum at 50 or 60 Hz. Both of these are components which are created by the amp itself. Ensure that the volume of the amps is set to the same amount. Otherwise you will not be able to objectively compare the level of noise between several amps. The general rule is: the smaller the amount of noise which you hear the higher the noise performance.
Most recent power amplifiers include a power switching stage that switches at a frequency around 500 kHz. Consequently, the output signal of switching amplifiers contain a rather big level of switching noise. This noise component, though, is usually inaudible because it is well above 20 kHz. Though, it can still contribute to speaker distortion. Signal-to-noise ratio is usually only shown within the range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. As a result, a lowpass filter is utilized while measuring switching amplifiers to remove the switching noise.
A lot of recent power amplifiers incorporate a power switching stage that switches at a frequency around 500 kHz. This switching noise may result in some amount of speaker distortion but is usually not included in the the signal-to-noise ratio which merely considers noise in the range of 20 Hz and 20 kHz. The signal-to-noise ratio is measured by feeding a 1 kHz test tone 60 dB below the full scale and measuring the noise floor of the amp. The gain of the amp is set such that the full output wattage of the amp can be achieved. Subsequently, only the noise between 20 Hz and 20 kHz is considered. The noise at other frequencies is eliminated by a filter. Subsequently the amount of the noise energy in relation to the full-scale output power is calculated and shown in decibel.
Time and again you will find the term "dBA" or "a-weighted" in your amplifier parameter sheet. A weighting is a technique of showing the noise floor in a more subjective fashion. This technique was developed with the knowledge that human hearing perceives noise at different frequencies differently. Human hearing is most responsive to signals around 1 kHz. However, signals below 50 Hz and above 13 kHz are barely noticed. The A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio is typically larger than the unweighted ratio and is published in most amp spec sheets.
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Click here to study additional information about audio power amplifiers. Additionally, surf over to http://stereo-installation.wonderhowto.com/how-to/install-car-amplifier-207585/.
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