IMPORTANCE OF AMPLIFIERS

Amplifiers are used to strengthen analog signals. Analog signals become weaker after travelling a certain distance,they need to be amplified so that the data is not lost on the way and reaches intact.A device used to make an instrament louder, usually an electric guitar. Sound signals have a certain amplitude behind them (power). If the signal is week, it is difficult to hear and transmit. Therefore, you need an amplifier to add power to a signal in order for it to be heard and transmitted

WHEN YOU’RE CHOOSING AN AMPLIFIER, WE RECOMMEND LOOKING OUT FOR THESE SPECIFICATIONS FIRST AND FOREMOST:

1. Power output:

Power output is roughly equivalent to how loud you can pump out music, the bigger the speakers or larger the room, generally the more power you want although your housemates and neighbours may disagree. You don’t actually need as much power as you expect. Generally 10W is pretty loud for average listening and 100W is enough to blow the roof off most parties.

.2. THD+N:

Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (THD + N) is a measure of just how much effect the amplifier has on the sound output. More distortion generally means more colouration to the sound. The lower this figure, the closer the output of the amplifier will sound to the original recording. Of course, speakers will have the biggest effect on sound, so choose some that are well matched to your listening preference.

3. SNR:

Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), if you stand in a quiet room in the country, far from anywhere, all of a sudden, the noises you never noticed previously become apparent like the noise of the radiators, a distant motorway. None of this is apparent when the kids are home and the TV is on, but that background noise is still there. An amplifier is the same, there is always a very small amount of noise from the electrons whizzing around, bumping into things. The goal is to make this background noise imperceptible, this means you hear more of the music and less of the noise. The measure of this is the signal to noise ratio.

4. Crosstalk:

Left is Left, Right is Right and Crosstalk is a measure of how much undesirable left signal is mixed with right output. Amplifiers all being one box are doing their best to be separate boxes one per channel, splitting apart the signals to ensure when it reaches the speakers, you can tell that the singer is standing slightly to the left of the stage and the violins towards the right. The more crosstalk there is, the harder it is to pick out the positions of the instruments as stereo separation is affected.

5. Inputs/Connections:

Can you connect up the things you want to? You’ll want to make sure you have enough in’s to match the number of things you want to connect. Remember the different type of connections, like 3.5mm for iPods, Phono for turntables and USB for laptops and home theatre PC’s. They all have advantages and when there are a few options, choose the one which provides the best sound quality.