eHow launches Android app: Get the best of eHow on the go.
Home entertainment systems have come a long way. Movie buffs can now enjoy great movies with crystal-clear pictures and crisp, theater-like sounds. Different entertainment systems from video components to big flat-screen TVs and incredible surround-sound systems are available collectively as home theater systems. Components now come... more »
Adding an amplifier and a subwoofer to your car is a great way to improve the sound, whatever your taste in music is. To get the best performance out of your subwoofer, it's important to power it properly with the right amplifier. Here's how to go about picking the right amp. more »
If you've ever been to a rock concert, a movie theater or simply listened to music on your way to work, you've used an amplifier. Amplifiers can come in many forms. Everything from the tiny ear-buds you use with your MP3 player to the earth shaking surround sound systems in an IMAX theater are all amplifiers. Their main function is... more »
An amplifier is essential when you are playing an electric guitar. The guitar would be virtually mute without it. Amplifiers come in a variety of models, ranging from small, low-power practice amps to large powerful amps suited for concert halls. more »
Playing guitar can be a lot of fun, but if you overload your amplifier you may end up causing some pretty severe damage to the speakers inside your amp. If you are hearing a rattling noise when you play or hear a lot of static, chances are you played your amplifier too loud, blew one of the speakers and need to replace it with a a new... more »
If you have a set of speakers and a CD player in your vehicle but you want something with a...
Nobody rocks out quietly. If you really want to wail, you can't do it without a little...
If you are shopping for the perfect acoustic amplifier, be sure to cover all the bases before...
Amplifier tubes can do more than just amplify your music. They can modify your sound and...
The term "amplifier" is generally used to refer to the components that produce sound in musical (and audio) equipment. But to understand how... more »
You're shopping for stereo equipment and all the terms have gotten confusing. Pre-amplifier, amplifier, tuner, receiver; what's what, and more... more »
The key to any good sound system is the amplifier, which is either a separate unit or includes an AM/FM radio, possibly satellite radio or... more »
Guitar amplifiers contribute substantially to the tonal palette of both electric and acoustic guitarists. For many guitarists, certain amplifiers... more »
Audio amplifiers are electronic devices that take a relatively low-level audio signal and magnify its strength to a level that can drive speakers.... more »
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is any device that changes, usually increases, the amplitude of a signal. The relationship of the input to the output of an amplifier—usually expressed as a function of the input frequency—is called the transfer function of the amplifier, and the magnitude of the transfer function is termed the gain.
In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually voltage or current. In audio applications, amplifiers operate loudspeakers used in PA systems to make the human voice louder or play recorded music. Amplifiers may be classified according to the input (source) they are designed to amplify (such as a guitar amplifier, to perform with an electric guitar), the device they are intended to drive (such as a headphone amplifier), the frequency range of the signals (Audio, IF, RF, and VHF amplifiers, for example), whether they invert the signal (inverting amplifiers and non-inverting amplifiers), or the type of device used in the amplification (valve or tube amplifiers, FET amplifiers, etc.).
A related device that emphasizes conversion of signals of one type to another (for example, a light signal in photons to a DC signal in amperes) is a transducer, a transformer, or a sensor. However, none of these amplify power.
Figures of merit
The quality of an amplifier can be characterized by a number of specifications, listed below.
Gain
The gain of an amplifier is the ratio of output to input power or amplitude, and is usually measured in decibels.
(When measured in decibels it is logarithmically related to the power ratio: G(dB)10 log(Pout /(Pin)). RF amplifiers are often specified in terms of the maximum power gain obtainable, while the voltage gain of audio amplifiers and instrumentation amplifiers will be more often specified (since the amplifiers input impedance will often be much higher than the source impedance, and the load impedance higher t read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplifier
Connect with people who share your interest by joining one of our Groups:
How to Connect Samsung Wireless InfoLink Adapter
How to Marry a Brazilian
Making a Spiral Knot Hemp Bracelet
How to Get Fired Gracefully
How to Stop a Shopaholic
How to Drive Defensively During the Holidays
Wonders of the World
Copyright © 1999-2009 eHow, Inc. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the eHow Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. en-US Portions of this page are modifications based on work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License.
