Are you searching to buy a brand new amplifier for your home speakers? You may be dazzled by the amount of choices you have. To make an informed selection, it is best to familiarize yourself with common terms. One of these specifications is named "signal-to-noise ratio" and is not often understood. I am going to help explain the meaning of this term.
As soon as you have chosen a number of amplifiers, it's time to explore some of the specifications in more detail to help you narrow down your search to one product. Each amplifier will make a certain level of hiss and hum. The signal-to-noise ratio is going to help compute the level of noise produced by the amplifier.
A way to accomplish a simple assessment of the noise performance of an amp is to short circuit the amplifier input and then to crank up the amplifier to its utmost. Subsequently listen to the speaker that you have connected. You will hear some amount of hissing and/or hum coming from the speaker. This hiss is produced by the amplifier itself. Then compare several amps according to the next rule: the smaller the amount of static, the higher the noise performance of the amplifier. However, bear in mind that you have to set all amps to amplify by the same level to compare several amps. To help you compare the noise performance, amplifier suppliers show the signal-to-noise ratio in their amp spec sheets. Simply put, the larger the signal-to-noise ratio, the lower the level of noise the amp produces. One of the reasons why amplifiers make noise is the fact that they use elements like transistors as well as resistors which by nature produce noise. The overall noise depends on how much hiss each element creates. Nonetheless, the location of these elements is also significant. Components which are part of the amp input stage will in general contribute most of the noise.
Whilst glancing at the amp specification sheet, you want to look for an amp with a high signal-to-noise ratio figure which indicates that the amp outputs a small amount of static. One of the reasons why amps generate noise is the fact that they use elements such as transistors and resistors that by nature produce noise. The overall noise is dependent on how much hiss each element creates. Nonetheless, the location of those elements is also vital. Elements which are part of the amp input stage are going to usually contribute most of the noise.
The signal-to-noise ratio is measured by inputting a 1 kHz test signal 60 dB below the full scale and measuring the noise floor of the amplifier. The volume of the amp is set such that the full output wattage of the amp can be realized. Then, only the hiss in the range of 20 Hz and 20 kHz is considered. The noise at other frequencies is removed by a filter. Subsequently the amount of the noise energy in relation to the full-scale output power is computed and expressed in db.
Frequently the signal-to-noise ratio is shown in a more subjective method as "dbA" or "A weighted". In other words, this method tries to state how the noise is perceived by a human being. Human hearing is most sensitive to signals around 1 kHz while signals below 50 Hz and above 14 kHz are barely heard. An A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio weighs the noise floor according to the human hearing and is usually higher than the unweighted signal-to-noise ratio.
As soon as you have chosen a number of amplifiers, it's time to explore some of the specifications in more detail to help you narrow down your search to one product. Each amplifier will make a certain level of hiss and hum. The signal-to-noise ratio is going to help compute the level of noise produced by the amplifier.
A way to accomplish a simple assessment of the noise performance of an amp is to short circuit the amplifier input and then to crank up the amplifier to its utmost. Subsequently listen to the speaker that you have connected. You will hear some amount of hissing and/or hum coming from the speaker. This hiss is produced by the amplifier itself. Then compare several amps according to the next rule: the smaller the amount of static, the higher the noise performance of the amplifier. However, bear in mind that you have to set all amps to amplify by the same level to compare several amps. To help you compare the noise performance, amplifier suppliers show the signal-to-noise ratio in their amp spec sheets. Simply put, the larger the signal-to-noise ratio, the lower the level of noise the amp produces. One of the reasons why amplifiers make noise is the fact that they use elements like transistors as well as resistors which by nature produce noise. The overall noise depends on how much hiss each element creates. Nonetheless, the location of these elements is also significant. Components which are part of the amp input stage will in general contribute most of the noise.
Whilst glancing at the amp specification sheet, you want to look for an amp with a high signal-to-noise ratio figure which indicates that the amp outputs a small amount of static. One of the reasons why amps generate noise is the fact that they use elements such as transistors and resistors that by nature produce noise. The overall noise is dependent on how much hiss each element creates. Nonetheless, the location of those elements is also vital. Elements which are part of the amp input stage are going to usually contribute most of the noise.
The signal-to-noise ratio is measured by inputting a 1 kHz test signal 60 dB below the full scale and measuring the noise floor of the amplifier. The volume of the amp is set such that the full output wattage of the amp can be realized. Then, only the hiss in the range of 20 Hz and 20 kHz is considered. The noise at other frequencies is removed by a filter. Subsequently the amount of the noise energy in relation to the full-scale output power is computed and expressed in db.
Frequently the signal-to-noise ratio is shown in a more subjective method as "dbA" or "A weighted". In other words, this method tries to state how the noise is perceived by a human being. Human hearing is most sensitive to signals around 1 kHz while signals below 50 Hz and above 14 kHz are barely heard. An A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio weighs the noise floor according to the human hearing and is usually higher than the unweighted signal-to-noise ratio.
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