Audio Power Amplifiers
Audio power amplifiers are the central driving force of any public address (PA) system. They take lower-level electrical signals from instruments, mics, and audio players by way of a mixing board, and then amplify those signals into the hundreds or thousands of electrical watts that are required to physically power audio speakers.
Compared to the complex controls of a mixing board, power amps are fairly simple. They usually consist of only a few knobs and several input/output jacks. This does not mean that all power amps are the same. Check out the best power amp for your own audio system here.
What kind of audio power amplifier do I need?
The most important factors in choosing a power amp are the size of your venue and the number of speakers. A two-speaker setup is fine with a single power amp that is between 200-500 watts, or even a basic power amp/mixer combo by a quality affordable brand like Behringer or Crown Audio.
If you’re going to use lots of speakers at big venues—subwoofers, monitors, and spread-out locations—you’ll need an audio power amplifier of more than 1,000 watts. Large churches or ballrooms with permanent PAs frequently use multiple power amps.
How do I match my power amp to my speakers?
You do not want your power amp’s wattage to be much more or less than the combined watt rating of all your speakers. A 250w power amp driving four 100w speakers will sound weak. A 750w amp going into two 100w speakers will sound great at lower volumes, but it will start to “clip” or distort at higher volumes, possibly damaging speakers.
Speakers are also rated in ohms (Ω), for how much they resist power amps’ wattage. The lower the ohms, the higher the watts a speaker is capable of handling. Most audio power amplifiers have safeguards to prevent damage caused by mismatched ohm impedance, but you never want to send a low ohm output to a higher ohm speaker.
Can I use an audio power amplifier for my home stereo?
Power amps are like the big brothers of the receivers that you use for your home entertainment setup. They’re typically overkill at home. Plus, they can be noisy and interfere with other electronics. However, top-shelf brands like Musical Fidelity make home receivers that can double as PA power amps.
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