Related Words

Amplifier: A device, either a single stage or a large scale circuit with mutiple stages for creating gain, ie. Making small signals larger.

Digital Amplifiers: See article on 'amplifier classes'

Vca (Voltage Controlled Amplifier): An amplifier whose output is controlled by varying its voltage rather than by direct resistance (as with a potentiometer).

Ripple (Amplifier): A train of pulses that occurs when AC is changed to DC via a rectifier. These pulses are left on the DC if not filtered and regulated properly, or if toomuch current is being drawn.

Op Amp: (operational amplifier) An analog integrated circuit device having two opposite polarity inputs and one output; frequently used as a basic processing unit in the design of analog signal circuits.

Nominal Impedance: The minimum impedance a loudspeaker presents to an amplifier, directly related to the power the speaker can extract from the amplifier.

Pan Pot: Short for panoramic potentiometer, this is a knob controlling a voltage divider that can send a signal to a combination of two busses, such as left and right. Always found on mixing consoles . . . View Full Definition

Power Handling: A measure of how much amplifier power, in watts, a speaker can take before it is damaged.

Passive Component: In a crossover system, a non-powered component used to separate an audio signal into a specified frequency band before it goes to a particular amplifier or driver. A passive device usually i . . . View Full Definition

Negative Feedback: The dynamic comparison of a fraction of the output signal to the input signal at the input to an amplifier in such a way that the amplifier regulates it's output signal for maximal conformit . . . View Full Definition