Spectron vs Parasound vs Cary vs ?
I do have to admit that i do not know about the stable voltage thing... i do know that after hours and hours of movies the p5 is only "warm" to the touch. i do know that the multi mono amp design of the anthem is not typical for ss amps. The anthem have brought my b&w's to life. i hope i am not giving bad advise to others. thanks, Bill |
Bill..not giving bad advise at all. All amps do a good job but some better than others. The most important is how efficient is the amp you own. This is why Class D amps have made great strides during the past seven years because of their efficiency. The key benefit to stable voltage is there is no wasted current failing to leave the amplifier output. When the voltage is unstable, then you have the problem of the voltage constantly fluxuating and a percentage of current fails to leave the amp causing heat problems and less continuous output of watts at different ohm levels. This wasted voltage creates heat which is why internal heat sinks and external heat fins are necessary. |
Baranowski..There is no spec listing with companies that manufacture amplifiers that specifies the percentage of wasted voltage. Amps that are very hot to the point you'll get second degree burns if you lay your hand on the heat fins for a short time period is an amp with poor voltage regulation. Amps that are luke warm to slighty warm is a good sign the designer did a good job regulating the voltage. One of the many things I like about the Sanders Magtech amp with full voltage regulation, is the top cover is a complete solid piece with no slits or cut open air vents that would allow dust and dirt to get into the amp. |
What generates heat is not voltage or voltage fluctuation. It is power consumption, also referred to as power dissipation. In the case of an amplifier, the amount of power dissipated at any given instant is equal to the AC power going into the amp minus the power that is delivered to the speakers. Power at any given instant is equal to the product (multiplication) of voltage and current at that instant. Heatsink temperature is dependent on many variables, in addition to the amount of power that is dissipated. Those variables include the size, weight, and overall design of the heatsink. The amount of power dissipated by the amplifier is also dependent on a great many variables. One of the most significant variables is its class of operation (A, AB, D, etc.) See this Wikipedia writeup for further information on amplifier classes. The best and one of the most powerful amps on the market under $10K is the Sander's Magtech amp.... It has a patented linear voltage regulator that eliminates voltage switching and voltage fluxuation which is typical in most amps which is why they run hot.I have no knowledge of the Magtech's patented linear voltage regulator, but I don't doubt that the amp is an excellent one. In general, though, a linear regulator will be much less efficient, and dissipate much more power, than a switching power supply rated to provide a similar output. Amps that are luke warm to slighty warm is a good sign the designer did a good job regulating the voltage.Not true. As I indicated, there are a great many variables that affect heatsink temperature. In general, voltage regulation has no specific correlation with power consumption or heatsink temperature, and whatever relation might exist could be in either direction depending on the specific design. Regards, -- Al |
