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Amplifiers in parallel

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42etus

Jan 1, 1970
0
D

DaveM

Jan 1, 1970
0
42etus said:
I'm using a Velleman kit amplifier,

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/item/MK-4001/search/7_WATT_MONO_AMPLIFIER_KIT_.html

to drive a 50 watt mid range speaker.

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/item/GM-658/search/5.25"#34;_50W_MIDRANGE_SPEAKER_.html

At higher levels, it cuts out. I'm thinking that this is overloading the amp.
Can I simply put a 2nd amp in parallel with the first one to provide more
power to the speaker.
If not what is my best solution?
TIA, Paul



First, what do you mean when you say that it "cuts out"? Does the sound
completely go away, or did you mean to say that it is very distorted?

Regardless or the answer to that question, in answer to your thought about
paralleling two amplifiers, no, you can't do that, at least, not easily. You
could build a signal inverting stage, put that inline with an identical
amplifier, and connect the speaker to the outputs in a bi-amp configuration, but
I suspect that you're probably not experienced enough in electronics to attempt
that.

You're driving an 8-ohm speaker with your amp, which means that it can only
deliver 2 watts into the speaker. If your audio level going into the amp is too
high, then all bets are off. You can't continue to operate a device beyond its
specifications and expect it to perform without repercussions.

Is your power supply to the amp capable of powering it to full sustained output?
Check the voltage to the amp while it's operating. If the voltage is varying
considerably (more than 0.5V or so), then you might consider getting a power
supply having more current capacity.

Overall, the answer to your problem, if you want higher volume, is to get a more
powerful amplifier, such as the one here:
http://www.mpja.com/productview.asp?product=8405+KT
It requires a heftier power supply than the one you're using now, but it will
definitely make bigger sounds.

--
Dave M
MasonDG44 at comcast dot net (Just substitute the appropriate characters in the
address)

Life is like a roll of toilet paper; the closer to the end, the faster it goes.
 
J

jasen

Jan 1, 1970
0
I'm using a Velleman kit amplifier,

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/item/MK-4001/search/7_WATT_MONO_AMPLIFIER_KIT_.html

to drive a 50 watt mid range speaker.

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/item/GM-658/search/5.25"#34;_50W_MIDRANGE_SPEAKER_.html

At higher levels, it cuts out. I'm thinking that this is overloading the
amp. Can I simply put a 2nd amp in parallel with the first one to provide
more power to the speaker.
If not what is my best solution?

what sort of sound are you trying to reproduce?

That lousspeaker doesn't do low frequencies (bass) at all well, and if you're
trying to play a signal with any amount of bass it'll only work at low
amplitude,

This one might work better:
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/item/SK-480/580/4"#34;_8_OHM_SPEAKER_.html

"SpeakerBuilder221" reckons they should be good from 40Hz to 10Khz
so they may well perfrom better than the midrange, if you find the high notes
lacking add a cheap tweeter with a series capacitor in parallel.

Or if you want to avoid the hassle and go with a pre-built solution:

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/item/SK-150/580/AMPLIFIED_STEREO_COMPUTER_SPEAKERS_.html

you don't have to use them on computers they work just fine on other audio
devices too.

Bye.
Jasen
 
F

Fleetie

Jan 1, 1970
0
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/item/MK-4001/search/7_WATT_MONO_AMPLIFIER_KIT_.html
to drive a 50 watt mid range speaker.

$11.95? FFS, what do you want for that money? Dump it and
buy a proper amp if you want better performance. Jeez, that's
like 6 pounds in England. The price of a cheap bottle of fizzy wine.
I suggest you save some more pennies, and buy a second-hand hi-fi amp,
or a bigger kit amp.

I'd rather thave the wine.

No, you can't (safely) parallel those amplifiers.


Martin
 
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