This book is the essential reference for audio power amplifier designers and engineers. Author Douglas Self covers all the issues of distortion and linearity, power supplies, protection, reliability and layout. He also tackles unusual forms of compensation and unexpected sources of distortion such as capacitors and fuses. This much expanded and updated Fifth Edition includes four NEW chapters, one of them dedicated to the XD crossover-displacement principle, invented by the author, and used by Cambridge Audio. The book has a wealth of new material on four-stage amplifier architectures, current-mirrors, power transistors with internal sensing diodes, amplifier bridging, subtle distortion mechanisms, input stage common-mode distortion, double input stages, amplifier stability, output stages with gain, transformers and hum fields, inrush current suppression, DC servo design, thermal protection, the subtleties of cooling fan control, advanced line input stages, ultra-low-noise design, high and low-pass filtering, testing and safety, infra-red control, signal activation, 12V trigger, level indication and much more.
There is significantly expanded material on professional power amplifiers as used in sound reinforcement and PA applications. This book is a must-have for audio power amplifier professionals and audiophiles, amateur constructors and anyone with intellectual curiosity about the struggle towards technical excellence.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: History Architecture & Negative Feedback Chapter 3: The General Principles of Power Amplifiers Chapter 4: The Small Signal Stages Chapter 5: The Output Stage 1 Chapter 6: The Output Stage 2 Chapter 7: The XD Principle Chapter 8: Compensation, Slew Rate & Stability Chapter 9: On Crosstalk, Hum, and Noise Chapter 10: Power Supplies & PSRR Chapter 11: Class-A Power Amplifiers Chapter 12: Class-G Power Amplifiers Chapter 13: Class-D Amplifiers Chapter 14: FET Output Stages Chapter 15: Thermal Compensation and Thermal Dynamics Chapter 16: The Design of DC Servos Chapter 17: Amplifier and Loudspeaker Protection Chapter 18: Power Amplifier Input Systems Chapter 19: Microcontrollers in Amplifiers Chapter 20: Grounding and Practical Matters Chapter 21: Testing and Safety
Author Biography
Douglas Self has dedicated himself to demystifying amplifier design and establishing empirical design techniques based on electronic design principles and experimental data. His rigorous and thoroughly practical approach has established him as a leading authority on amplifier design, especially through the pages of Electronics World where he is a regular contributor.
