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OTL Asylum OTL, Output Transformerless Amplifier User Group. |
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In Reply to: Re: Apples and oranges posted by djn on January 14, 2005 at 07:49:39:
Transistor amps tend to produce power in inverse relationship to speaker impedance. In other words, an ss amp rated at 100W into 8 ohms might make 200W into 4 ohms. This relationship has limits and is dependent upon the power supply design and execution. So for example the same amplifier probably would not develop 800W into a 1 ohm speaker. (It would probably explode first.) Conversely, tube amplifiers tend to develop more power into higher impedance speakers. This is because transistor amps are "current amplifiers" while tube amps are "voltage amplifiers". I hate to repeat that confusing bit of mumbo jumbo, because it does not tell you anything. Think of it this way: Power = current X voltage. SS amps are better at making current and tube amps are better at making voltage. Tube-type OTL amplifiers certainly tend to like high impedance loads better than low impedance loads. This is not only due to the foregoing rationale but also to the fact that OTLs tend to have high-ish output impedances, which makes it doubly difficult for them to drive low impedance speakers. (You want the output impedance of your amplifier to be significantly less than the input impedance of your speaker for best results.)
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Follow Ups
- transistors vs tubes - Lew 09:15:52 01/14/05 (0)
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