ICE All About Amps

Ok now you mention efficiency. What’s that all about?
There are many different amp classes with different power ratings. Putting it basically, the different classes define how each amp is efficient with the given power. On a standard amp with 50% efficiency, to produce 500w RMS of power, it also wastes another 500w to heat. A more efficient amp will provide more power and less heat.

The classes and what they mean:
• Class A – Desirable for their high quality of sound repercussion, but runs very hot, therefore not very efficient on power.
• Class AB – This is the most common amp class. A class AB amplifier runs cooler, and therefore, more efficiently than a class A, with lower distortion and higher reliability.
• Class D - Class D amps boast higher efficiency, produce less heat, and draw less current than Class AB amps. However, they do produce higher distortion than a class AB amp, but this distortion occurs at high frequencies that are easily removed by a low-pass filter.
• Class T – These provide the same sort of audio quality as a class AB amp, but have the power efficiency of a class D amp. Class T amps are able to generate 2 to 4 times more power than a similar sized class AB amp.

I’ve heard about MOFSET on amps. What’s that all about?
A MOFSET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) based amp uses different configuration than normal conventional bipolar transistors. They are much more stable and efficient than the normal transistors used.

Ok you’re loosing me now. What’s a transistor?
Right, without going too much into the electronics behind everything, an amplifier uses an electronic component called a transistor. These turn a small power signal into a larger power signal. They have different configurations and power ratings. The more efficient amps use a better setup and more power conservative transistors (such as MOFSET), which also switch off when unused. This isn’t the case in a class A and class AB amp, which is why they are less power efficient.