Hello everyone!
I'm feeling very happy to post here all the time. I hope I will learn more by being here
Although, I made many chip amp circuits and happily playing music on them but one problem keeps bothering me all times and that's CLIPPING /DISTORTION of audio at higher volumes. Though I make my audio files clipping free but I can't play them at maximum volume coz of Clipping. I want to know that how can I make my amplifier circuit free from clipping at higher volumes but still sounding loud ?
I'm feeling very happy to post here all the time. I hope I will learn more by being here
Although, I made many chip amp circuits and happily playing music on them but one problem keeps bothering me all times and that's CLIPPING /DISTORTION of audio at higher volumes. Though I make my audio files clipping free but I can't play them at maximum volume coz of Clipping. I want to know that how can I make my amplifier circuit free from clipping at higher volumes but still sounding loud ?
Clipping is largely determined by the power supply voltage (which also sets the maximum output power). If your amplifier is clipping and you want to go louder still, the only solution is to buy/build a new amplifier with higher power supply voltages.
25W/channel in a normal sized room, though, should be plenty loud. Before you spend any money are you sure it's the amplifier that's clipping? Did you use an oscilloscope, or are you going by the output sound? No point spending money on the amplifier if the problem is somewhere else in the system.
-JS
25W/channel in a normal sized room, though, should be plenty loud. Before you spend any money are you sure it's the amplifier that's clipping? Did you use an oscilloscope, or are you going by the output sound? No point spending money on the amplifier if the problem is somewhere else in the system.
-JS
Hi Anirvan
As JS wrote the clipping of an amplifier is the "result" of a too low voltage of the power supply. the power chip in your amp is responsible for the max Voltage and current what it can deliver. so going up with the voltage is just limited in the datasheet .written in the datasheet for different impedance of speakers/load. e.g. +/-25V with 8 ohm load but +/-22V with 4 ohm load /speakers. because of the chips max heat dissipation and current protection.
the gain of an amplifier is the difference between input signal/voltage to output signal/voltage. so if your output voltage hits the maximum voltage of your power supply voltage you amp starts to clipping - soft clipping/distortion. if the output is much higher the sine wave is cutted hard -hard clipping ...huge distortion...please look at the pic i attached.
with a scope you can see the output signal is clean or starts to be distorted.
chris
As JS wrote the clipping of an amplifier is the "result" of a too low voltage of the power supply. the power chip in your amp is responsible for the max Voltage and current what it can deliver. so going up with the voltage is just limited in the datasheet .written in the datasheet for different impedance of speakers/load. e.g. +/-25V with 8 ohm load but +/-22V with 4 ohm load /speakers. because of the chips max heat dissipation and current protection.
the gain of an amplifier is the difference between input signal/voltage to output signal/voltage. so if your output voltage hits the maximum voltage of your power supply voltage you amp starts to clipping - soft clipping/distortion. if the output is much higher the sine wave is cutted hard -hard clipping ...huge distortion...please look at the pic i attached.
with a scope you can see the output signal is clean or starts to be distorted.
chris
Attachments
More power supply voltage or lower impedance amplifier.
Some of my first home build amps clipped badly.
But the power supply was only about +/- 30 volts.
I found going upto about +/-55VDC improved things a lot.
The amp was 225WRMS into 4 ohms so was serious mobile disco sound levels.
Thanks all for the reply!
I made an amp the first time with LA4440 chip for using it with a usb mp3 module to play music from flash drives but whenever I increase the volume of the amp, there's lot of distortion/clipping. I used both 8 ohms and 4 ohms speaker one by one to test but in both cases the clipping was there. I used 12 Volts 3 Ampere transformer for powering it. The usb module has a fixed volume so I added a voltage control to La4440 amp. Please help.
I made an amp the first time with LA4440 chip for using it with a usb mp3 module to play music from flash drives but whenever I increase the volume of the amp, there's lot of distortion/clipping. I used both 8 ohms and 4 ohms speaker one by one to test but in both cases the clipping was there. I used 12 Volts 3 Ampere transformer for powering it. The usb module has a fixed volume so I added a voltage control to La4440 amp. Please help.
The LA4440 is a high distortion (especially at low frequencies), low power IC. In stereo mode, it starts clipping with a 4r load at less than 5W (and that's with a 13.2V supply). You'll get even less (probably about 2.5W) with a 8r load.
So if your speakers aren't very sensitive and you like your music loud, there might not be much you could do about it.
So if your speakers aren't very sensitive and you like your music loud, there might not be much you could do about it.
Clipping isn't a complex thing ... It is the result of asking an amplifier circuit to deliver more than it can. If you drive it's output beyond the supply's voltages, it is going to clip and there is nothing you can do about it.
To prevent clipping you have to either reduce the gain of the circuit or attenuate the input signal.
Sorry, but there's no magic solution that doesn't destroy the music in some other way.
We have ALREADY helped, but you do NOT follow our suggestions.
But you, contrary to advice:
Why ask for advice you won´t follow?
another possible issue you may be having that may cause premature distortion is a heatsink that is not large enough. The chip may limit output power if it starts to overheat.
Turn the bass down a bit, you will be able to play the music louder.
increase the size of the output capacitor from 1000uf to 2000uf or 4000uf if your speakers are 4 ohms or less.
the maximum supply voltage for the chip is 25 volts. Recommended is 13.2VDC. Try a power supply that is a happy medium between 25 and 13. Lets say 18vdc.
You may have to increase the voltage value of the capacitors to match that of the newer higher voltage power supply.
From the data sheet the chip will support speakers down to 2 ohms. Try bridging the amplifier for increased output power.
here is a link to the data sheet
https://www.onsemi.com/pub/Collateral/LA4440-D.PDF
I see on the data sheet that no input capacitor is needed. You may have some DC coming into the amplifier from your mp3 player causing distortion
good luck
Turn the bass down a bit, you will be able to play the music louder.
increase the size of the output capacitor from 1000uf to 2000uf or 4000uf if your speakers are 4 ohms or less.
the maximum supply voltage for the chip is 25 volts. Recommended is 13.2VDC. Try a power supply that is a happy medium between 25 and 13. Lets say 18vdc.
You may have to increase the voltage value of the capacitors to match that of the newer higher voltage power supply.
From the data sheet the chip will support speakers down to 2 ohms. Try bridging the amplifier for increased output power.
here is a link to the data sheet
https://www.onsemi.com/pub/Collateral/LA4440-D.PDF
I see on the data sheet that no input capacitor is needed. You may have some DC coming into the amplifier from your mp3 player causing distortion
good luck
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