Are you searching to buy a new amp for your home loudspeakers? You might be dazzled by the number of choices you have. To make an informed choice, it is best to familiarize yourself with frequent terms. One of these terms is named "signal-to-noise ratio" and is not often understood. I will help clarify the meaning of this term.
Once you have selected a number of amplifiers, it's time to explore some of the specs in more detail to help you narrow down your search to one product. Each amp is going to generate a certain amount of hiss as well as hum. The signal-to-noise ratio will help quantify the amount of static generated by the amp.
One way to accomplish a simple assessment of the noise performance of an amplifier is to short circuit the amplifier input and then to crank up the amp to its utmost. Subsequently listen to the loudspeaker which you have connected. The noise which you hear is produced by the amp itself. Then compare several amplifiers according to the next rule: the smaller the amount of static, the better the noise performance of the amp. However, bear in mind that you should put all amplifiers to amplify by the same amount in order to evaluate several amplifiers.
Most of today's power amps are digital amplifiers, also known as "class-d amplifiers". Class-D amps utilize a switching stage that oscillates at a frequency in the range of 300 kHz to 1 MHz. This switching frequency is also hiss that is part of the amplified signal. Yet, today's amplifier specs typically only consider the noise between 20 Hz and 20 kHz.
Producers measure the signal-to-noise ratio by means of setting the amplifier such that the full output swing may be realized and by inputting a test tone to the amplifier which is generally 60 dB below the full scale of the amplifier. After that the noise-floor energy is calculated in the frequency range between 20 Hz and 20 kHz and compared with the full scale signal energy.
A different convention in order to express the signal-to-noise ratio uses more subjective terms. These terms are "dBA" or "A weighted". You will find these terms in the majority of amplifier specification sheets. This method attempts to examine in how far the amp noise is perceived by human hearing which is most responsive to signals at frequencies at 1 kHz. Consequently an A-weighting filter is going to amplify the noise floor for frequencies which are easily perceived and suppress the noise floor at frequencies that are hardly perceived. The majority of amplifiers are going to have a higher A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio than the un-weighted ratio.
Once you have selected a number of amplifiers, it's time to explore some of the specs in more detail to help you narrow down your search to one product. Each amp is going to generate a certain amount of hiss as well as hum. The signal-to-noise ratio will help quantify the amount of static generated by the amp.
One way to accomplish a simple assessment of the noise performance of an amplifier is to short circuit the amplifier input and then to crank up the amp to its utmost. Subsequently listen to the loudspeaker which you have connected. The noise which you hear is produced by the amp itself. Then compare several amplifiers according to the next rule: the smaller the amount of static, the better the noise performance of the amp. However, bear in mind that you should put all amplifiers to amplify by the same amount in order to evaluate several amplifiers.
Most of today's power amps are digital amplifiers, also known as "class-d amplifiers". Class-D amps utilize a switching stage that oscillates at a frequency in the range of 300 kHz to 1 MHz. This switching frequency is also hiss that is part of the amplified signal. Yet, today's amplifier specs typically only consider the noise between 20 Hz and 20 kHz.
Producers measure the signal-to-noise ratio by means of setting the amplifier such that the full output swing may be realized and by inputting a test tone to the amplifier which is generally 60 dB below the full scale of the amplifier. After that the noise-floor energy is calculated in the frequency range between 20 Hz and 20 kHz and compared with the full scale signal energy.
A different convention in order to express the signal-to-noise ratio uses more subjective terms. These terms are "dBA" or "A weighted". You will find these terms in the majority of amplifier specification sheets. This method attempts to examine in how far the amp noise is perceived by human hearing which is most responsive to signals at frequencies at 1 kHz. Consequently an A-weighting filter is going to amplify the noise floor for frequencies which are easily perceived and suppress the noise floor at frequencies that are hardly perceived. The majority of amplifiers are going to have a higher A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio than the un-weighted ratio.
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