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Audio Performance
While many people understand there are tremendous differences between professional
loudspeakers, many also tend to think that amplifiers are only differentiated by the amount
of output power they provide. Electro-Voice amplifiers serve to prove that there are also
audible differences...
Dynamic Headroom
Amplifier power and distortion figures are typically specified with sine wave signals. However, music signals are far more
dynamic than sine waves, comprising a pulsed wideband spectrum.
We at EV believe that, above all figures, the tonal performance of live music counts most; therefore, all of our amplifiers
are designed for dynamic headroom. This means that each and every EV amp has at least 30% more output capability for
short-term signals, when compared to a long-term sine wave value. This additional headroom results in an amp that will, for
example, allow for short term signal peaks of at least 780W when spec´d 600W.
While dynamic headroom is audible when playing music through a sound system, another specification to observe is the
increase in output power from an 8 Ohm load to 4 Ohms, and then down to 2 Ohms. Of course, all Electro-Voice amplifiers
are designed to be absolutely stable into loads of 2 Ohms.
Sine wave and music signal on the output of an amplifier.
30%
100%
a
Transient Response
When processing dynamic signals, other important criteria are signal speed and dynamic distortion. For example, kick drum
signals carry pulses of many frequencies as an overlay spectrum. Therefore, and in contrast to many other manufacturers, EV
specifies a lot more information on their amplifiers' dynamic behavior than just "slew rate" figures. Important tests referring to
the amp´s ability regarding multitone signal pulses are expressed by IMD-SMPTE measurements at high power levels. And,
while IMD tests show the Intermodulation Distortion behaviour (how much "sound" is added by the amplifier), DIM30 is the
real spec for speed in an amplifier. All these tests are carried out in EV labs during an amplifier's design phase, to ensure
maximum sonic performance. While these technical explanations appear very complex, they are clearly audible. Take a Q
Series amplifier and crank it up – you'll hear the difference immediately!
b
a
Specified output power, mea-
sured with sine wave signal.
The dynamic headroom
b
designed into Electro-Voice
amplifiers allows maximum
dynamic response from music
signals, providing more punch
and power than other equally
spec'd amps
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