Investigating a number of the technical specifications of recent stereo amps, one cannot help but be at a loss in trying to evaluate different models as well as terms, including "t-amp", "THD" et cetera. I am going to explain the term "amplifier wattage" a bit more in this article. "Wattage" is one of the most basic terms describing amplifier performance. Nevertheless, it is frequently misunderstood. A number of manufacturers also in history have used this term in a confusing manner to hide the true performance. Amplifier specifications are at times awkward to decipher as they are not completely standardized. As such it may be difficult to understand the true functioning of the amplifier merely by investigating the specs. A good technique though is to do a listening test ahead of buying your amplifier. Throughout this test you ideally want to set up the amp in a comparable setting as your use. Now I am going to give various details regarding "amplifier wattage". This rating is often misunderstood. It is essential to look fairly closely at how the producer shows this parameter.
Amplifier specs are at times tough to understand as they are not fully standardized. As such it might be difficult to figure out the actual performance of the amp merely by investigating the specs. A good technique however is to do a listening test prior to buying your amp. Through this test you ideally wish to install the amplifier in a similar setting as your use. Let me now go ahead and describe the wattage specification of power amplifiers. The output wattage of the amps is shown as "wattage". This describes how loud your amplifier can drive your speakers. If you have a small space then you don't need much more than several watts. If you want to install speakers outside or in a live show then you will need several hundred watts of power. Many amplifiers will show growing audio distortion as output power increases. Consequently, you wish to go with an amplifier which has bigger output power than you will actually need. This will ensure that you will never drive the amplifier into areas of high distortion.
There are 2 widespread ways to publish amplifier power. These are "peak power" and "rms power". "Peak power" describes how much wattage the amp can deliver to your speakers for a brief burst. However, "rms power" shows how much power the amplifier can output for a prolonged amount of time without being damaged. In the past, manufacturers have regularly favored showing the "peak power". This figure is higher than the average or "rms" power. However, "peak power" can frequently be ambiguous as there is no standard stating the period of time that the amplifier must be able to deliver this amount of output power.
Still, whereas the rms rating will tell you more about the amplifier's actual performance, be sure though that the amp offers a peak power rating that is quite a bit bigger than the rms spec. This is because very likely you are going to be using the amplifier to amplify music or voice. Music and voice signals inherently always change in terms of their power, i.e. the power envelope of the audio will fluctuate over time. Having enough headroom is crucial as audio signals differ a lot from sine wave signals which are used to measure rms power. Short bursts of large power are often found in audio signals. These peaks are going to drive the amp into high distortion unless the peak power is large enough.
Usually the impedance of the speakers that you attach to the amp will determine how much power the amp can deliver. Speaker impedance is measured in Ohms. Generally speakers have an impedance between 4 and 8 Ohms. An audio amplifier which has a set internal supply voltage is going to have a maximum output voltage swing that is restricted by that supply voltage. If you are driving an 8-Ohm speaker then the amplifier must deliver two times the output voltage than when driving a 4-Ohm speaker to deliver the same level of power. If the highest output power is not referenced to a speaker impedance, you ought to contact the maker. Typically a 4-Ohm speaker is used as a reference.
Amplifier specs are at times tough to understand as they are not fully standardized. As such it might be difficult to figure out the actual performance of the amp merely by investigating the specs. A good technique however is to do a listening test prior to buying your amp. Through this test you ideally wish to install the amplifier in a similar setting as your use. Let me now go ahead and describe the wattage specification of power amplifiers. The output wattage of the amps is shown as "wattage". This describes how loud your amplifier can drive your speakers. If you have a small space then you don't need much more than several watts. If you want to install speakers outside or in a live show then you will need several hundred watts of power. Many amplifiers will show growing audio distortion as output power increases. Consequently, you wish to go with an amplifier which has bigger output power than you will actually need. This will ensure that you will never drive the amplifier into areas of high distortion.
There are 2 widespread ways to publish amplifier power. These are "peak power" and "rms power". "Peak power" describes how much wattage the amp can deliver to your speakers for a brief burst. However, "rms power" shows how much power the amplifier can output for a prolonged amount of time without being damaged. In the past, manufacturers have regularly favored showing the "peak power". This figure is higher than the average or "rms" power. However, "peak power" can frequently be ambiguous as there is no standard stating the period of time that the amplifier must be able to deliver this amount of output power.
Still, whereas the rms rating will tell you more about the amplifier's actual performance, be sure though that the amp offers a peak power rating that is quite a bit bigger than the rms spec. This is because very likely you are going to be using the amplifier to amplify music or voice. Music and voice signals inherently always change in terms of their power, i.e. the power envelope of the audio will fluctuate over time. Having enough headroom is crucial as audio signals differ a lot from sine wave signals which are used to measure rms power. Short bursts of large power are often found in audio signals. These peaks are going to drive the amp into high distortion unless the peak power is large enough.
Usually the impedance of the speakers that you attach to the amp will determine how much power the amp can deliver. Speaker impedance is measured in Ohms. Generally speakers have an impedance between 4 and 8 Ohms. An audio amplifier which has a set internal supply voltage is going to have a maximum output voltage swing that is restricted by that supply voltage. If you are driving an 8-Ohm speaker then the amplifier must deliver two times the output voltage than when driving a 4-Ohm speaker to deliver the same level of power. If the highest output power is not referenced to a speaker impedance, you ought to contact the maker. Typically a 4-Ohm speaker is used as a reference.
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