How Loud is the Distortion from Your Power Amplifier?
Would you put a washing machine in your listening room? If the answer is no, you may be surprised to discover that the distortion produced by your ...
Audio Application Notes
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Audiophile Snake Oil
Audiophiles live in the wild west. $495 will buy an "audiophile fuse", $10,000 will buy a set of "audiophile speaker cables". A top-of-the line po...
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Audio Myth - "Damping Factor Isn't Much of a Factor"
Is damping factor important? Is a damping factor of 10 high enough? Do all amplifiers have a high-enough damping factor? What are the damping facto...
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Rules of Thumb for Music and Audio
As an engineer I like to use "rules of thumb" to make quick estimates that help to explain the physical world around me. These rules of thumb are e...
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Feed-Forward Error Correction
The Benchmark AHB2 power amplifier and HPA4 headphone amplifier both feature feed-forward error correction. This correction system is an important ...
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Balanced vs. Unbalanced Analog Interfaces
For analog audio, balanced XLR interfaces are vastly superior to unbalanced RCA interfaces. If you look at the back of any Benchmark product, you w...
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Interpreting THD Measurements - Think dB not Percent!
Distortion measurements (THD, THD+N and IMD) are traditionally expressed in terms of percent. But what do 1%, 0.1%, 0.01% or 0.001% mean in terms o...
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Calculating the Performance of an Amplifier-Speaker Combination - Example 2
This application note can serve as an example for calculating the maximum sound pressure levels and noise output levels for any amplifier/speaker c...
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Speaker Sensitivity and Amplifier Power
Speaker sensitivity is a measure of how loud a speaker will play at a given input power or at a given input voltage. Sensitivity is normally measur...
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Audio Myths - The Ultimate "Myth Buster" Video - Monty Montgomery, Xiph.Org
Monty Montgomery takes us into the lab and uses a series of simple demonstrations to bust some very common myths about digital audio. Test your kno...
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Intersample Overs in CD Recordings
Many oversampled DACs clip when playing CDs. This clipping is caused by a hidden defect in most oversampled DACs. Discover the cause and the cure. ...
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Calculating the Performance of an Amplifier-Speaker Combination
In this application note we calculate the maximum output level and noise level produced by an amplifier/loudspeaker combination. Use this example f...
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Power Amplifiers - A "First Watt" ABX Test
Using a double-blind ABX test, we verified that there was a clearly audible difference between two amplifiers at an output level of just 0.01 watt.
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Audio Myth - Balanced Headphone Amplifiers are Better
Benchmark does not offer balanced headphone outputs on any of its products. The reason for this is that a voltage-balanced interface serves no usef...
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Grounding XLR Connectors - Neutrik USA
Learn when and how to ground an XLR audio connector. Follow a few simple rules to prevent unwanted noise. Learn how to leverage the full capabiliti...
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Audio Myth - "Switching Power Supplies are Noisy"
In audio systems, switching power supplies can be much quieter than linear power supplies. The secret to this difference is hidden in the magnetic ...
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Amplifier Crossover Distortion
Most audio power amplifiers suffer from a defect known as "crossover distortion". This distortion is particularly troublesome at low output levels....
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How Should I Buy an Audio System?
Buying an audio product is much like buying a car. Some products are designed for performance and others are designed for comfort. Cadillac or Pors...
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