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Choosing The Best Audio Amplifier For Your Home Theater

Choosing the perfect audio amplifier can be overwhelming given the large number of diverse types and technologies. Regardless of your use, I will describe some fundamental amplifiers language which will be useful when choosing the perfect type.

Audio amplifiers are the main link between your source such as a DVD or Blu-Ray player and your speakers. An amplifier will convert the relatively weak source audio into a signal strong sufficient to drive your loudspeakers.

Depending on your application, you might want to go with a source that already has a built-in amplifier. Then again, using a separate amplifier will give you more flexibility in selecting the model that best complements your speakers. Some of today’s mini amplifier models are small sufficient to conceal them almost everywhere.

Many people will look at amplifier wattage first when choosing an amplifier. Output wattage is the amount of power the amplifier is capable to deliver to the speakers. Driving low-sensitivity speakers (sensitivity is expressed in dB/W) requires fairly high wattage. In addition, driving outdoor speakers or speakers in a large room will require higher amplifier power. Don’t overdrive your speakers though since this may irreparably damage your speakers.

However don’t be overly worried about wattage. An amp supplying 20 to 50 Watts will give you more than plenty of power to adequately drive a speaker in any but the largest room.

Amplifier wattage is given either as rms or continuous power which shows how much power the amplifier can deliver continuously or as maximum or peak power which shows how much power the amp can output for small periods of time. Most people will look at the rms power value whilst selecting an amplifier. However, music signals are anything but continuous. Therefore selecting an amp that has adequate peak power handling is just as essential.

Audio quality is just as imperative as having sufficient audio power and for that reason you ought to also take a look at figures such as total harmonic distortion or THD. Every amplifier will introduce some imperfections into the audio signal which is known as distortion and expressed in percent or dB. A smaller distortion number means a lower distortion of the audio signal by the amplifier. Audiophile-grade amps will have distortion figures of at most 0.05% whilst consumer-grade amps have distortion of up to 10%.

Another figure related to audio quality is called signal-to-noise ratio and describes the amount of unwanted noise the amplifier will add to the signal. Consumer-grade amps will have a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of at least 80 dB. Higher-end amps will have an SNR of 100 dB or more. Audiophile amps will have an SNR of close to 120 dB.

There are several amplifier technologies available. Today’s amplifiers are for the most part Class-D amplifiers. Class-D amplifiers have a high power efficiency and waste little energy as heat. Some of today’s mini amplifiers are no bigger than a deck of cards. Class-D type amplifiers often have higher distortion and a lower signal-to-noise ratio than Class-A or Class-AB amplifiers. Some latest digital amplifier models, though, come very close to the audio quality of analog amps. Make certain that the amp has low distortion and a high SNR if you choose a Class-D amp.