How does an Amp work?

[shovelinabox]

First of all I am not an audio guy at all. My question is just what does an amp do? Provide more power, I get that. Let's say there is a senerio that with out an amp your speakers distort when turned up. How would adding an amp help this?

2004 FLHT
Pioneer MVH-X360BT
Hawg Wired ZX654-100 6.5 Componants
HAwg Wired XR04-200 passive crossovers

[Latrobedyna]

Here is a pretty elementary explanation http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/amplifier2.htm
Now the distortion you here usually is not the speaker them self causing it. Most times it caused by the transistor/s being driven to the point of saturation in which case they become very sloppy and this causes the distortion you here. There is many schemes in biasing the transistor/s to reduce this effect class A biasing is the best way i am aware of. The problem with class A biasing is the amp is not very efficient. It will sound great but but it wont make the power as say class E amp would make.  To compound this whole problem almost all manufacturers overdrive the transistors  to get as much power (wattage) as possible out them poor lil devils as watts sell ! a typical cheap walmart special amp biased way off of class A will make plenty of power but will sound ike a huge pile of    A quality class A Amp that make the same wattage would cost 10 times the price. So hence as you see economics plays a role here as well. to make this simple class A sounds the cleanest and best it also is most expensive .  As you go down to class b etc etc price falls as well as sound quality.

[shovelinabox]

I get it now.. My bi-polar transistor is stuck in an n-type insulating state causing a depletion zone in the output circuit.... 

Great article but over my head.. Think I'll buy one and try it out..

[tdgriff]

I get it now.. My bi-polar transistor is stuck in an n-type insulating state causing a depletion zone in the output circuit.... 

Great article but over my head.. Think I'll buy one and try it out..

keep it simple and just hook a amp up and you will love it

[Garry in AZ]

I will try and simplify things a little bit. Most often, the distortion you hear is either electrically generated by the amplifier driving the speakers, or due to mechanical limitations or problems in the speakers themselves. The amplifier in the H-D radio is capable of about 25 watts per channel without exceeding 1% distortion. Most people can just begin to detect a slight amount of distortion at 1%. (However I have some friends who can't seem to hear 5%!  LOL)

An amplifier drives the speakers with voltage and current. When you turn up the volume high enough, you will at some point reach the amplifiers maximum output for undistorted power. When you push it beyond that, the amplifier produces distortion because it has reached it's voltage or current limits. Audio people call this "clipping", because the amplifiers output "clips off" the peaks of the waveforms, which is where the distortion comes from. This causes audible distortion in the loudspeaker, and also increases the heating in the speakers voice coil windings, which can eventually lead to a damaged speaker.

Adding a more powerful amplifier will extend the amount of voltage and current available to drive your speakers. This makes them able to play louder without distortion, because you are not reaching the limits of the amplifiers output. At some point, you will reach the mechanical limits of the loudspeaker, and cause distortion that way, so it's important to use speakers that are rated to handle the output of your amplifier.

In actuality, the process and events occurring are vastly more complicated than this, but fundamentally this is what you hear, and why.

I hope this helps?

Garry

[UltraNutZ]

I get it now.. My bi-polar transistor is stuck in an n-type insulating state causing a depletion zone in the output circuit.... 

Great article but over my head.. Think I'll buy one and try it out..

Figure out what your goal is first before you spend a dime on anything.

simply put - adding an amp is no different than adding aftermarket exhaust to your otherwise stock HD.  Sounds better, performs more efficiently, but also must be in the correct combination. 

* If you add an amp and don't replace stock speakers, well you've really done nothing but waste $$.
* If you replace speakers first with a good quality speaker then you might find you don't need an amp at all just a better speaker.  HD speakers are horrible examples of "decent" speakers. 
* If you add an amp and use the incorrect speakers, well you've done more bad than good.
* It's all about combining the right parts just as a motor build goes.  Mismatched components and you're wasting your time and $$.
* Change your speakers first with the best speaker you can afford to buy and then go from there.  This sets the foundation to building upon your audio later on if you need further improvements.