Tell me what you think.

First of all, we must know that existence is reasonable. The reason why there are so many types of power amplifiers is because they have different needs. So let’s not talk about which one is good and which one is bad. Let’s talk about the suitable uses of different power amplifiers.

1. Vacuum tube power amplifier

1. Single-ended tube power amplifier

This is a power amplifier that is more suitable for listening to simple vocals and musical instruments. Most of them are round and warm (it mainly depends on what kind of tube is used), but they have the disadvantage of low power and relatively high sensitivity requirements for the speakers. A very large single-ended tube amplifier can produce several watts of power. So if you need a grand scene and sharp dynamics, don’t consider this.

2. Push-pull tube amplifier

I think this is a type that should not appear if it were not for the compromise on power. The power can be relatively high, but the sound is not as good as single-ended, a bit like a transistor amplifier style. It can drive some speakers with relatively high power requirements.

2. Transistor power amplifier

1. Single-ended Class A

Although the sound is not as warm as that of a tube, it still sounds nice. The heat dissipation is very large and the power The larger the heat sink, the more exaggerated it is. A heat sink with a power of tens of watts will weigh tens of kilograms. The price is also relatively expensive, suitable for those who have money to burn sound.

2. Push-pull Class A and B

This power can be very large, and the sound is hard. However, most of our common power amplifiers are of this type. It is widely used, not only for home use, but also for stage audio and older car audio.

3. Super Class A

Theoretically solves the crossover distortion and other problems of Class A and B power amplifiers, but it is not taken seriously and there are relatively few varieties. The sound is quite clean and delicate, but does not have the warm feeling of Class A.

3. Gallstone Power Amplifier

The tube preamplifier and the transistor poststage make the power amplifier taste like a tube and the power is not so limited. Italy's Baibaosi is a relatively well-known brand. There are also some varieties of piano speakers for desktop systems in China, and the sound is still good. It is not as complicated as a tube amplifier and does not require an output transformer. It should be noted here that although output transformers are relatively common on tube amps, they are not patented for tube amplifiers. For example, McIntosh has transistor amplifiers with output transformers. However, this technology is difficult to obtain and most manufacturers do not master it.

In addition, many of the very cheap so-called gallstone power amplifiers on the Internet are fake. The tubes only light up and do not participate in power amplification, it is just a look.

4. Digital power amplifier

1. Class d power amplifier

Class a power amplifier is warm, and class ab power amplifier is powerful. Class B power amplifiers rarely appear in homes. As for class C power amplifiers, they are used for large speakers in schools. Class D is a digital power amplifier, and most of the work is solved by a chip. Although many friends are not familiar with it, it is widely used, such as most car power amplifiers, Bluetooth speaker power amplifiers, stage audio power amplifiers, theater power amplifiers, etc. Class D power amplifiers are very efficient, so the heat dissipation is very small and the performance is very stable. Don’t think that Class D power amplifiers are only used in low-end equipment. The multi-channel Class D electronic crossover power amplifiers are used in the world’s most expensive speakers, and the flagship speakers of luxury speakers in audio are basically the same. structure.

2. Class t power amplifier

A type of power amplifier created by tad manufacturer. It has low power, higher efficiency than class d, and rich sound details. It is used in some outdoor portable speakers. This kind of power amplifier, such as tad2024, 2020, etc.

3. Class F power amplifier

This power is even smaller, usually only two or three watts. The volume can be made very small. The entire power amplifier board is only about the size of a fingernail. Some Ultra-small portable speakers use this type of amplifier.

5. Other types

1. Thick film power amplifier

This is more common in Japanese power amplifiers in the 1970s and 1980s, such as Tianle and Roxy (Panasonic) ), Jianwu, Hitachi, Onkyo, etc. Most of them have tens of watts of power, and the sound is pretty good, but it feels like they are lacking in detail (the ones I have listened to are all antique amplifiers, which may be caused by aging).

2. Op amp array power amplifier

This is a relatively barbaric method that seems to have only been developed in recent years. It uses dozens of op amps to make an array. In principle, It should be good, but I haven't heard any bad reviews.

These are the only ones that I can think of. I hope it can give my friends an understanding of various power amplifiers.

This is a personal opinion, for reference only, please correct me if there are any errors.

This question has directly pointed to the core theme of audio. As for which power amplifier is the best, to be honest, the "four kings" power amplifiers in the world, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Denmark, each have their own merits, strong, soft, and beautiful. Rough and subtle are the "expressions" of each of the above four power amplifiers. Objectively speaking, no power amplifier contains all the "perfections". The "perfection" you want can only be found in the "equalizer and mixer" to compensate. . As far as current power amplifiers are concerned, Japan's "Pioneer and Shanshui" power amplifiers can be said to have dominated the world in the early years, and even today the sound is impeccable, but they are not perfect either, why? Judging from the standard of "perfect", it is not soft and lacks the thickness of the mid-range, so if you want to hear an amplifier that is compatible with all four sounds, there is only a "tube amplifier", which is an early tube amplifier in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Tube power amplifiers from the Central People's Broadcasting Station to the People's Commune. It was the main propaganda tool at that time. However, due to the high power consumption of this kind of power amplifier, the country was in an era of power shortage. At this time, semiconductor technology became mature, so tube radios and amplifiers withdrew from the stage of history. But her sweetness, The mellow, lingering, and breathy sound between your teeth makes you stick with it and keep it in your heart. In today's era when the country is prosperous and the people are strong, "tube amplifiers" are again chosen by admirers as the "highest realm" of audio, but they are no longer Not all amplifiers are top-quality. Among the amplifiers that the author has experienced, 300B amplifiers and McIntosh amplifiers are the first choices. The two models can express a feeling of sweetness, including the ethereal feeling of the sound of people's footsteps in the dead of night, and the cute and charming scent of the Queen of Sweet Songs. These two models are a display of economic strength, good products and good prices. The last thing the author wants to say is that there is no limit to the sound quality. There is no ceiling, ranging from the world's top million-dollar luxury goods to tens of dollars of semiconductors. The sound is clear and undistorted. The best is to stop when the time is right. In all things, be content and tolerant. The source of happiness in life!

The premise of this question is to listen to music instead of listening to speakers. As a novice, you will definitely not feel the difference between the songs. Isn't listening to speakers not listening to music? No, I have been playing audio for more than thirty years and designing power amplifiers for more than ten years. There are a lot of audio friends around me. There are really not many people who listen to music and enjoy music. Most of them listen to the sound effects, how the treble is, how the bass is, etc. , I didn’t care about music, I was keen on changing cables and insurance, I forgot my original intention, and just played stereo in the name of listening to music. You might say that they listened to music while playing with speakers. In fact, most sound systems are not suitable for listening to music. Why? The sound is unbalanced and has too much personality, just like a singer who shows off his skills too much. , making you forget or lose your attention to the music. In the same way, a sound system that is overly sweet, overly soft, overly bassy, ??or overly gorgeous will more or less affect listening to music. This is what we have learned from so many years of practice. You may not agree, but I The logic is correct. There are many answers to this question, but they are all the same as not saying anything. Let me recommend, (I am a professional, a practitioner), this is it: the imported power amplifier that can really let people listen to music is this one from McIntosh. The European one is the least reliable and has too many decorative features. . The domestically produced Marton series power amplifiers designed by me are the only ones made in China. However, most people can only use it as a reference. Not many people know how to enjoy music, and they tend to be more pretentious.

Generally speaking, imported pure power amplifiers are enough, but AV amplifiers and subwoofers cannot listen to music. Just like most people will not marry a prostitute as their wife, it is fine for fun, but if you really want to listen to music seriously, you need HⅠFⅠ.

Listening to music is not determined by a power amplifier. We set a hifi system to be 100, the proportion of speakers is 50, the proportion of power amplifier is 30, the proportion of sound source and cable is 20, and a power amplifier The power amplifier should be selected according to the power parameters of the speaker, so that the investment will not become blind. Pure Class A power amplifiers are relatively nice and durable, but their efficiency is low and the price is relatively high. Class A and B power amplifiers have high efficiency, but odd-order harmonic distortion, which can cause ear fatigue after long-term listening, so the choice of power amplifier should be determined based on the speaker parameters. Conscientious manufacturers will be more strict in matching the power tubes of the amplifier, so that the crossover distortion will be reduced. When choosing an amplifier in a store, it is best to turn up the volume louder so that the sound effect can reach a blast level and see how long your ears can tolerate it.

It depends on how high your fever is, endlessly. In the past, I only had a low-grade fever, but it lasted for a long time. Now I am a little tired. I only use the single-channel LM1875 to listen to songs at a moderate volume. My mentality has softened, and my ears are no longer picky.

HIFI power amplifiers, brands such as Onkyo and Denon from Japan, NAD from the UK, etc. are not recommended for those with fever, as they deviate from the purpose of music appreciation. A set of 18,000 speakers is enough.

To listen to music, just buy a jukebox. Buy another memory card or USB flash drive. Memory card, it is recommended to buy 8g. There are many songs saved. I also bought an 8g USB flash drive. Buy a jukebox, a jukebox with two speakers is best. Then, buy a bottle of wine. Turn on the jukebox. Drink and listen. If you don't like drinking, drink tea. Stay alone in the house and listen to prairie songs. Amplifier? No need. Too loud. The jukebox is easy to carry. Many people listen to music on their mobile phones. And I just like jukeboxes. Keep it in your pocket. Don’t turn the volume up too loud, just listen while walking. Especially when traveling at night. It’s after get off work, around ten o’clock in the evening. There are few people on the road. It's still dark. At this time, listening to music while going home is so unforgettable.

Of course it is better to use a tube amplifier. If you feel that the tube amplifier is troublesome or the price is a problem, then I suggest you buy a second-hand British amplifier, which is not very powerful but has very good sound.

If you do not consider the surrounding equipment (including sound sources), just as far as the power amplifier is concerned, no matter what type of power amplifier (A, B, AB, D...) the power amplifier is actually OK, as long as the frequency response is consistent with The distortion index can meet the requirements. As for whether the sound is cold, warm, sweet, astringent...mostly related to the characteristics of frequency response and distortion...

Speaking of frequency response, it actually includes not only the range width of the frequency response, such as 20Hz to 20kHz, Or from 0Hz to 100kHz, the gain flatness within the band should also be considered. This flatness also has a great impact on the sound quality. I think reaching 0.5dB can be considered an excellent indicator.

Speaking of distortion, to be honest, no matter what kind of power amplifier, a large number of nonlinear devices are used in it, including transistors, inductors, capacitors, and some distribution parameters, which will introduce different distortions (including delay time distortion), although we can try to make full use of the linear part of the nonlinear device, we still cannot completely eliminate the distortion. We can only minimize the distortion, or balance the ratio of the distortion we like and the distortion we don’t like... In other words, the so-called Choosing amplifiers with different sound styles is just a matter of picking the distortion style you like.

To summarize, no matter what kind of power amplifier, as long as the frequency response and distortion indicators meet the standards, it can play beautiful music. The so-called different styles are just different combinations of frequency response and distortion indicators. Therefore, choosing a power amplifier that meets the specifications and meets your preference for timbre (distortion) is a good power amplifier that is suitable for you.

A good-sounding power amplifier is good. As for this good sound, everyone has different understandings, and the differences will be huge. The power amplifier serves the speakers! Therefore, you must first be able to push and push well, and then consider issues such as sound quality, timbre, musical taste, etc., as well as balance, dynamics, sound field, positioning, layer, separation, density, thickness, vocal background, etc. , in short, a good power amplifier must be made of thousands of pieces. The sound is the only way to judge, and the ears are the most important.