The frequency response is just about the most often found parameter in order to define power amplifiers. However, it might often be confusing and may not always offer a good indication of the audio quality. You might not fully grasp precisely how the frequency response is measured. Let me explain what exactly this term means. I hope you'll be able to make a much more educated purchasing decision.
An amp is going to amplify a sound signal which is inside the frequency response range. Commonly a lower and upper frequency are shown, such as 20 Hz - 20 kHz. This kind of spec shows that the amplifier will be able to amplify music within that frequency range. You might be lured to decide on an amplifier which provides the biggest frequency response. On the other hand, there is much more to comprehending an amplifier's overall performance than simply understanding this simple range. The reality is, an amplifier which has a frequency response from 10 Hz to 30 kHz can in fact have much poorer sound quality than an amp which provides a frequency response from 20 Hz to 15 kHz. Different manufacturers appear to utilize various methods to define frequency response. Usually, the frequency response shows the normal working range of the amp. Inside this range, the amplifier gain is largely constant. At the upper and lower cutoff frequencies the gain is going to drop by no more than 3 decibels.
However, a lot of companies overlook this particular convention. They push the lower frequency and upper frequency to where the amplifier rarely offers any gain. Furthermore, these numbers tell almost nothing about precisely how linear the amplifier is operating within this range. If possible you ought to make an effort to get a frequency response diagram from the maker. In this diagram, you will discover the way the amplifier behaves inside the frequency response range. It's also possible to spot any peaks and also valleys the amp could possibly have. You may also wish to ask for a phase response chart which also presents important hints regarding the audio quality. The conditions under which the frequency response was calculated may also be essential to fully understand. One condition that might affect the frequency response is the impedance of the loudspeaker attached to the amp. Normal speaker impedances range between 2 to 16 Ohms. The lower the speaker impedance the higher the burden for the amplifier.
To better understand the frequency response behavior of a particular model, you should try to determine under which conditions the response was measured. You might find this data in the data sheet of the amp. Then again, a lot of makers will not show these in which case you should get in touch with the manufacturer directly. The fact is amplifiers might have different frequency responses depending on the speaker which is hooked up. This change is most noticeable with most digital amplifiers, also known as Class-D amplifiers. Class-D amplifiers employ a lowpass filter in their output to reduce the switching components that are created by the internal power FETs. A varying speaker load will affect the filter response to some degree. Commonly the lower the speaker impedance the lower the maximum frequency of the amplifier. In addition, the linearity of the amplifier gain will be determined by the load.
Mainly modern digital or "Class-D" amps will show changes in the frequency response with different loads. The primary reason is the fact that Class-D amps use switching FETs as the power phase that produce quite a lot of switching components. These components are eliminated with a filter which is part of the amp. A changing speaker load will affect the filter response to some degree. Normally the lower the loudspeaker impedance the lower the highest frequency of the amp. Also, the linearity of the amplifier gain will be determined by the load. A number of the newest digital amplifiers feed back the music signal after the lowpass filter to be able to compensate for this drawback and to make the frequency response of the amplifier independent of the attached load. Then again, if the amplifier is not constructed well, this kind of feedback might cause instability and also cause loud noise being created by the amp if certain loudspeakers are connected. Yet another method uses audio transformers between the power stage of the amp and various outputs. Every output was created to connect a different loudspeaker load. This method helps to ensure that the amplifier will be loaded equally and in addition improves amplifier power efficiency.
An amp is going to amplify a sound signal which is inside the frequency response range. Commonly a lower and upper frequency are shown, such as 20 Hz - 20 kHz. This kind of spec shows that the amplifier will be able to amplify music within that frequency range. You might be lured to decide on an amplifier which provides the biggest frequency response. On the other hand, there is much more to comprehending an amplifier's overall performance than simply understanding this simple range. The reality is, an amplifier which has a frequency response from 10 Hz to 30 kHz can in fact have much poorer sound quality than an amp which provides a frequency response from 20 Hz to 15 kHz. Different manufacturers appear to utilize various methods to define frequency response. Usually, the frequency response shows the normal working range of the amp. Inside this range, the amplifier gain is largely constant. At the upper and lower cutoff frequencies the gain is going to drop by no more than 3 decibels.
However, a lot of companies overlook this particular convention. They push the lower frequency and upper frequency to where the amplifier rarely offers any gain. Furthermore, these numbers tell almost nothing about precisely how linear the amplifier is operating within this range. If possible you ought to make an effort to get a frequency response diagram from the maker. In this diagram, you will discover the way the amplifier behaves inside the frequency response range. It's also possible to spot any peaks and also valleys the amp could possibly have. You may also wish to ask for a phase response chart which also presents important hints regarding the audio quality. The conditions under which the frequency response was calculated may also be essential to fully understand. One condition that might affect the frequency response is the impedance of the loudspeaker attached to the amp. Normal speaker impedances range between 2 to 16 Ohms. The lower the speaker impedance the higher the burden for the amplifier.
To better understand the frequency response behavior of a particular model, you should try to determine under which conditions the response was measured. You might find this data in the data sheet of the amp. Then again, a lot of makers will not show these in which case you should get in touch with the manufacturer directly. The fact is amplifiers might have different frequency responses depending on the speaker which is hooked up. This change is most noticeable with most digital amplifiers, also known as Class-D amplifiers. Class-D amplifiers employ a lowpass filter in their output to reduce the switching components that are created by the internal power FETs. A varying speaker load will affect the filter response to some degree. Commonly the lower the speaker impedance the lower the maximum frequency of the amplifier. In addition, the linearity of the amplifier gain will be determined by the load.
Mainly modern digital or "Class-D" amps will show changes in the frequency response with different loads. The primary reason is the fact that Class-D amps use switching FETs as the power phase that produce quite a lot of switching components. These components are eliminated with a filter which is part of the amp. A changing speaker load will affect the filter response to some degree. Normally the lower the loudspeaker impedance the lower the highest frequency of the amp. Also, the linearity of the amplifier gain will be determined by the load. A number of the newest digital amplifiers feed back the music signal after the lowpass filter to be able to compensate for this drawback and to make the frequency response of the amplifier independent of the attached load. Then again, if the amplifier is not constructed well, this kind of feedback might cause instability and also cause loud noise being created by the amp if certain loudspeakers are connected. Yet another method uses audio transformers between the power stage of the amp and various outputs. Every output was created to connect a different loudspeaker load. This method helps to ensure that the amplifier will be loaded equally and in addition improves amplifier power efficiency.