Are You Driving Your Audio System in the "Wrong Gear"?
A race car produces peak power when the transmission is in the proper gear. Likewise, an audio system produces peak performance when each component is running at an optimum signal level. We can put a race car on a dynamometer and measure the power that is delivered to the wheels. We can also measure the loss of power that comes from driving in the wrong gear.
Likewise, we can hook an audio system up to a test station and measure the power and noise that is delivered to our speakers. We can also measure the loss of performance that comes from operating the audio system in the "wrong gear".
Volume controls and gain switches are the "gearboxes" in an audio system. Learn how to "drive in the right gear".
John Siau will take us into Benchmark's Engineering Lab for a performance driving lesson. He will show end-to-end performance measurements of a high-performance Benchmark audio system. He will even "shift it into the wrong gears" so that you can see the resulting loss of performance.
Products Discussed in this Video
The Benchmark AHB2 Power Amplifier
- Radically Different Topology
- Hi-Frequency Fully-Regulated Switched-Mode Power Supply
- Linear Class-AB output Stage with Class-H Tracking Rails
- Much more Efficient than a Traditional Class-AB Amplifier
- Feed-Forward Error Correction
- Correction Amplifier is Passively Summed with the Main Amplifier
- No Magnetic Interference
- No Relays in Output Stage
- Protection Circuits are not in Series with Output Path
- Low Gain Design
- Tweeter Protection
- 0.1 Hz to 250 kHz Bandwidth
- Stable into Inductive and Capacitive Loads
- Stable into Very Low Impedances
- 135 dB SNR
- THD is Better Than -110 dB at Full Output Power
The Benchmark HPA4 Headphone Amplifier
- THX-888 Headphone Amplifier featuring Feed-Forward Error Correction
- Entire Signal Path is Relay Controlled
- 256-Step Relay-Controlled Volume
- Lowest Noise, Lowest Distortion Preamplifier Available
- International Power Supply
- High Power Headphone Output
- Independent Line-Level Output
- Certified for Pro or Hi-Fi Applications
- Supports full Studio-Level Balanced Inputs and Outputs
- 0.1 Hz to 500 kHz Bandwidth
The Benchmark LA4
- Identical to the HPA4, but without the Headphone Amplifier
The Benchmark DAC3 Converter Family
- +3 dBFS DSP and DAC Headroom - No Clipping of Intersample Peaks
- Linear Phase Reconstruction Filter - Preserves Analog Waveshape
- Switch-Mode Power Supplies - No Magnetic Interference
- UltraLock3(TM) Jitter Attenuation
- Professional Studio Level Balanced Outputs - Factory Default
- HiFi Level Balanced Outputs - User Selected
- Available in 3 Models - Options Include Headphone Amp and Volume Control
- All Models Deliver Identical Performance
