Why hi-power amp produce clearer sound & more details ...

[nina]

...particularly at low volume/level of listening ?

[tlf9999]

a couple guesses:

a) distortion tends to be lower at lower output levels;
b) crest factor: even at lower volume you will have high peaks and fast transients that may push a small amp into clipping while a larger one can handle with ease.

[darkfenriz]

Why hi-power amp produce clearer sound & more details ...
...particularly at low volume/level of listening ??

The point is very arguable, most technical issues would prove rather opposite.
Could you give more details about both systems (maybe speakers matter?) you listened to and your impressions.?

regards

[janneman]

Originally posted by nina
Why hi-power amp produce clearer sound & more details ...
...particularly at low volume/level of listening ??

Does it? I often heard the opposite, that higher power amps sound less clear and detailed, even at low levels. What caused your experience in this?

Jan Didden

[thomgun_lc]

I'm not sure if Hi-power amp produce more clearer sound.Maybe, Hi power amps poduce more watt/dB, but not always produce high fidelity. Usually Hi power amp use class B, so the signal not purify.So, i think low power amp using single ended in Class A, produce more detail and clearer.

Please describe ur question about"HI"power amp.Is it HI-FI?or Hi-Watt?

[peranders]

Originally posted by nina
...particularly at low volume/level of listening ??

What is low level to you?

I'd say the same as Janneman. I find it more likely to make a more performing amp if I don't have to choose high current and high voltage devices.

Is this your own observation? Maybe the low power amps you have been listening to haven't been too good.

[DcibeL]

Originally posted by nina
...particularly at low volume/level of listening ?

Says who? And what does this have to do with chip amps?

There are many different amp topologies that a general statement like this just cannot be made. There are 1 watt amps that sound just fantastic, and I'm sure there are 1000W amps that sounds pretty slick as well. Power output has little to do with it. In fact, I might even go as far to say that a high powered amp could not outperform the sound quality of a smaller amp built to be the best sounding possible. A smaller amp would have a shorter signal path, and could be less efficient without running into heat problems.

[clem_o]

Nina, perhaps you can post / explain the circumstances that brought you to such a question. Maybe you were listening to a series of different amplifiers, etc and you happened to get this particular perception. I'm sure it will be of interest to the others...


Cheers!

[Cobra2]

Maybe it is because you stay within the klass A biasing of the larger (AB)amp, (some are biased to class A from 5 to 20W)

Arne K

[Workhorse]

Since the Voltage rails of the high power amp are at much higher potential therefore it directly effects the SlewRate of high power amp...because SR increase with an increase in supply rail voltage...hence the sound "MAYBE" more clearer than with amp having low supply voltage rails....

K a n w a r