|   What is a Class G amp? | DragonTim
Jan 1, 2002 8:09 PM | | SVS subwoofers have a Class G amp in them. It's rated at 190 watts into 4 ohms. Any comments on this? |
| re: What is a Class G amp? | Kursun
Jan 2, 2002 2:31 PM | | I didn't know about it until you asked. I typed class+g+amplifier in google and looked at some results. See the glossary at: http://www.audiolab.com/glossary/
Seems it is a type of AB amplifier with two power supply voltage rails. The lower voltage rail is better regulated and supplies most of the power requirement. The higher voltage rail provides the power when called upon instantaneous peaks. This gives the amp a very dynamic headroom. This is especially important on live music and Home Theater applications. I presume this is similar to the Technics Class H amplifier configuration. There have been very fine examples of such designs with stepped power supplies, as the highly successful MA-500 and MA-700 power amplifiers from Marantz.
On the negative side, such amplifiers generally have low current capability. In my view a good amp should deliver its juice in continuous conditions as well as in transient conditions. Terms like music power, PMPO, etc fits better to PC speakers and lo-fi. Especially in powered subwoofer applications where tones are sustained I don't believe use of class G amplifiers are appropriate. |
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