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Car Amplifiers — Your audio horsepower just got supercharged
Car audio is in the midst of a major technological transformation. I'm not talking about satellite radio, mobile video, surround sound, or HD Radio technologies. I'm talking about . . . amplifiers, of all things, and specifically about Class-T® digital audio amplifiers developed by Tripath Technology. Whether you are a car audio hobbyist, a professional mobile system designer, or just someone who listens to the radio on your factory deck, these compact and highly efficient amplifiers promise to alter dramatically the way we listen to music. In fact, the implications of Tripath's Digital Power Processing® technology extend well beyond car audio. Digital amplifiers like the Class-T® are poised to impact everything from flat-panel televisions and broadband internet access, to cell phone technology in the very near future.
The juice behind your tunes
Amplifiers. They're just not very sexy. In the world of car audio, flashy head units, touch-screen monitors, and ground-shaking subwoofers usually hog the spotlight. However, their more bashful brothers — car speakers and amplifiers — are arguably the two most important components in any system. As Scott Memmer of Edmunds.com notes, "Since amplification is the last stop for the audio signal before it goes to the speakers, the amp merely takes whatever signal is delivered to it (after tone adjustments, balance/fade, etc., have altered it) and increases it. But that 'merely' makes all the difference in the world, and it's the reason people will pay thousands of dollars for an aftermarket system that delivers awesome bass." It's simple really: an inferior power supply = inferior sound quality.
How amplifiers work — a short explanation
There are three basic stages, or sections, in the process of audio amplification. The preamplifier section is where the signal from your source (radio, CD, cassette, DVD, MP3 player, etc.) is adjusted via bass and treble controls, crossovers, equalizers, and other sound shaping controls. Throughout the preamp section, the audio signal is a low-voltage electrical signal.
The power supply section provides the energy used to boost the audio signal. In order to prevent corrupting the audio signal with extraneous noise, the power supply section should be physically separated from the preamp and power amplifier sections.
The amplifier section contains the signal boosting output transistors that take the increased current and voltage from the power supply and kick the audio signal up to a level that will drive a speaker.
 This very basic amp diagram shows the three main sections of an audio amp. |
Depending on the application, these three sections — the preamplifier, the power supply, and the amplifier — can be linked together in a variety of ways.
- An integrated amplifier consists of the preamp, power supply, and amplifier sections all contained within a single component; car stereos typically include integrated amplifiers.
- Many aftermarket car stereos, however, offer preamp outputs, which allow you to bypass the receiver's internal (and usually weaker) amplifier and route the audio signal through an external power amplifier.
- High-end car and home stereo systems will sometimes consist of separate source, preamp, and power amplifier components.
