Talking about the Damping Coefficient of Power Amplifier

　　Damping Factor - Definition

　　What is the damping coefficient? Refers to the ratio of the rated load (speaker) impedance of the amplifier to the actual impedance of the power amplifier. A large damping coefficient means that the output resistance of the power amplifier is small. The damping coefficient is the ability of the amplifier to control the movement of the speaker cone after the signal disappears.

　　An amplifier with a high damping factor acts more like a short circuit to the speaker, reducing vibration when the signal is terminated. The output impedance of the power amplifier will directly affect the low-frequency Q value of the speaker system, thereby affecting the low-frequency characteristics of the system.

　　The Q value of the speaker system should not be too high, generally in the range of 0, 5 to 1. The output impedance of the power amplifier is the factor that increases the low frequency Q value, so it is generally hoped that the output impedance of the power amplifier is small and the damping coefficient is large. . The damping coefficient is generally between tens to hundreds, and the damping coefficient of high-quality professional power amplifiers can be as high as 400 or more.

　　For a second-order and above speaker crossover system, the internal energy consumption of the speaker system during the movement process has two situations: the system energy remains unchanged; the system energy gradually decreases. The damping coefficient is the characteristic that expresses the energy reduction.

　　Damping Coefficient - Explanation

　　One of the specifications of the amplifier

　　The damping coefficient is one of the parameters of the power amplifier, which directly affects the controllability of the power amplifier to the speaker system. The damping coefficient data provided by the general power amplifier only publishes the damping coefficient of a certain frequency band.

　　Not the higher the better

　　The relationship between speakers and power amplifiers is intricate. The matching principle of power and sensitivity is only a basic principle, and the relationship between current and speakers is even more incomprehensible. It cannot be judged from the specification sheet alone. It can only be judged by experience and ears. . In addition to the current elusive, there is another thing is the damping factor (Damping Factor).

　　The damping coefficient does not represent the damping force. The loudspeaker (speaker) has the maximum damping force when it is short-circuited, which is a finite value. Corresponds to the short-circuit Q value of the speaker. No matter how large the damping coefficient is, it is only an infinite approximation to this value. For example; the damping coefficient is 10, reaching 90%, 100 reaching 99%, and 1000 reaching 99.9%, so excessive damping coefficient is unnecessary. Negative feedback is the decisive factor for the damping coefficient. Excessive damping coefficient requires deep negative feedback, which will bring many negative effects. Therefore, the sound quality of power amplifiers with different damping coefficients is different, and it cannot be explained by the damping coefficient alone, because 99% and 99.9% are actually no different.

　　Different frequency bands will change

　　The damping coefficient is one of the parameters of the power amplifier, which directly affects the controllability of the power amplifier to the speaker. The damping coefficient data provided by the general power amplifier only publishes the damping coefficient of a certain frequency band. But in fact, the damping coefficient of most power amplifiers will change in different frequency bands, so the data provided can only be used as an approximate indication. Some speakers require a high damping coefficient to control the action of the speaker unit. If it is equipped with a power amplifier with insufficient damping, the speaker unit will be out of control, causing excess resonance and audio loss.

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