Comprehending The Difference Between RMS And Maximum Wattage Of Audio Amplifiers

By Sherry Lambert


Selecting the perfect model is tricky while faced with a huge array of different terms as well as specifications, like "T-amp", "channel separation", "efficiency" and so forth. You might not even fully understand the most simple of these terms, including "amplifier wattage". I will offer a short summary of the output power term with the intention to help you better know the significance of this specification and how it relates to the performance of an power amplifier. Amp specifications are at times tough to decipher as they are not fully standardized. As such it can be difficult to understand the true functioning of the amplifier just by taking a look at the specs. A good method however is to do a listening test ahead of paying for your audio amplifier. Through this test you ideally wish to set up the amp in a comparable setting as your application. Next I am going to provide a number of fine points in relation to "amplifier wattage". This rating is often misunderstood. It is essential to look rather closely at how the maker publishes this rating.

"Wattage" is from time to time also known as "Power" or "amplifier output power". To put it in a nutshell, "wattage" indicates how high the amp can drive your speakers. The higher this number the louder your loudspeakers. If you have a small room then you don't require much more than several watts. If you want to set up loudspeakers outdoors or in a live show then you will need several hundred watts of power. Please note that many amps will start clipping the audio as soon as the audio reaches higher wattage. If you want to enjoy low-distortion music then you might want to choose an amp which will give you higher wattage than you are going to really need.

The output power of the amps is shown as "wattage". This shows how loud your amp may drive your speakers. You wish to choose the amplifier wattage depending on how large your listening environment is. For superior audio quality, you might wish to choose an amplifier that has more power than you need as many amplifiers are going to exhibit rising distortion once the music power goes up.

These days most amplifiers are going to state rms power that provides a better indication of the amp's actual performance. However, please make sure that your amplifier has sufficient headroom to stay away from clipping of the audio. Having adequate headroom is essential as music signals differ a great deal from sine wave signals which are used to quantify rms output power. Short peaks of large power are often found in music signals. These peaks are going to drive the amp into large distortion unless the peak power is large enough.

Usually the impedance of the speakers which you attach to the amp is going to determine how much power the amplifier can offer. Speaker impedance is measured in Ohms. Normally speakers have an impedance between 4 and 8 Ohms. An audio amplifier that has a fixed internal supply voltage is going to have a maximum output signal swing which is restricted by that supply voltage. If you are driving an 8-Ohm speaker then the amplifier has to provide twice the output voltage than while driving a 4-Ohm speaker in order to output the same amount of power. As a result often maximum output power is shown for a specific loudspeaker impedance.




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