What is a Power Amplifier, And Do I Need One?

[@sweetwater]

Thanks for checking out this guide to Power Amplifiers! If you have any questions, drop them in the comments section 👇 If this video helped you, hit that like button and then subscribe to our channel for more great guides, tips, and tricks!

[@sweetwater]

​@Sufimoor Hey there! Great question, but I feel like that requires a bit more context and a little more in-depth conversation to answer properly. Can you give me a shout at the contact info below so we can talk about it? Rock on! 🎶🤘 Cassie O'Hanlon, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 3020, [e-mail]

[@boopmybutthole3616]

I have Rockville rw10ca. I installed it but the rca connected to my kenmore ddx418 I hear the voices of songs louder than bass. I also can't find how to tune it.

[@carlinschneider6831]

Explain this to me like I'm five.

[@agustinhernandez1209]

Same 😂😂😂 i was still confused

[@janetkile1690]

If anyone has found any videos that are slow and suuuuper basic, let us know!

[@Feldie84]

It makes sound bigger.

[@kdk200]

I think basically if I wanted to use a big speaker like 4x12 I can’t just plug in my iPhone audio or guitar with a distortion pedal. I need it to go to power amp then it sends the audio and power to the 4x12. I think.. lol

[@elegondavid3361]

I'm more confused

[@Χριζαϊων_Ζηνόβῐος]

Holy shit, I wasn't expecting to find a good explanation but wow. This is perfect.

[@MofosRealReviews]

Although this was in English I still didn’t understand it 😂 Make a video on ir’s (impulse response)

[@MinisterJoshuaLacy]

Life Of Chris Right!🤣

[@binshuo]

I majored in Electronics in university and graduate school and had plenty courses on digital signal processing, signal and systems, linear and non linear circuits. I still have no idea what he's talking about.

[@xzing7]

​@@binshuo🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@rubensverstappen3458]

I thought I was watching the video in 1.25x speed. Lol. Great explanation tho. :))

[@shan3671]

I’m more confused now that I watched this video.

[@rohitwadhwa7223]

Such a great explanation very well explained sir,continue educating us about technology.

[@cysolo]

Great video but the background music is too loud.

[@MrRungi]

Agreed.

[@westaf1454]

@@MrRungi is because of the amplifier

[@TomBauto]

I couldn't take the fast phase and background music, I did not understand anything at all! Thumbnail is good, why rush?

[@SowardsLian]

me watching with 0.5 playback speed

[@crimsonhawk4912]

Jiluka! I'm on to you!!! I'll find that sound sooner or later

[@bills48321]

Great explanation

[@romanspataro1688]

this guy is the man

[@CharlesFerraro]

I’ve heard of the pwm thing but have no idea how that works for amps. Obvs it’s different from synthesizer sound design (though I’m sure it’s still a square wave and pwm but the application is just very different).

[@totalplonker824]

Got a question for you mate... if one didn't need the extra power but still wished to add a Poweramp to its more than capable AVR, would the extra boost in signal improve one's two channel audio 🤔

[@Slewlok]

Good video but my god ditch the music or bring it wayyyyyy down

[@pascaljean-pierre4845]

Very informative! Need help selecting a pair of passive speaker/floor monitors for a QSC RMX 850 power amplifier (200W/channel at 8 ohms). Thanks in advanced for your support.

[@bransoncat.3227]

I still don't fully understand if I have a digital mixer if it is internally powered or not so now I don't know if I can use unpowered speakers

[@flesz_]

what power amp do I need compared to speakers power ?

[@imtiazahmed2362]

the power amplifier, which is producing the background sound (noise), needs to be changed.. :P :P

[@kuoz4072]

Can you use these in cars

[@DojoOfCool]

Some power amp will color the sound, I always like the old Crown amp advertisements.... "the closest thing to a straight wire with power".

[@MrRungi]

You're right. Some people love a clean signal. Some like it dirty, or whatever. No worries

[@mortensenvick5711]

i have an (ignorant) question; does a car power amplifier (sited in the trunk) generate any sound by itself? Or just drive the speakers? thanks

[@brendanlucero8585]

I believe it just powers the speakers but I'm not 100%

[@goobydntfear]

what the heck is the difference of an amp and a preamp

[@jothikannan7713]

👍

[@antoneriksson7980]

ah yes, of course 5Head

[@23x31]

The real question is....What's up with that leather jacket?

[@towelie5127]

oouch my brain hurts , slooowweer please :)

[@avindraboodram6998]

Nice explanation Sir. However, in reality there is no such thing as a POWER Amplifier. For power cannot be amplified. It is the product of RMS Voltage and Current. Manufacturers as well as users continue to use the term as it became an industry standard. Lets get it right and use the correct term to describe this piece of audio gear..

[@iamhungry4000]

Yeah, because RMS voltage and Current amplifier just rolls of the tongue 😏

[@destubae3271]

Tremolo bars don't actually have a tremolo effect either. There are a lot of wonky names, as long as people understand what they're referring to all is well

[@iamhungry4000]

@@destubae3271 vibrato bar 🤣

[@felipecervantes7881]

Huh? Jargon overload.

[@iamhungry4000]

Somebody should teach this guy how to breathe in and slow down. Nobody can take this in.

[@shrabanidas2891]

What tha hell

[@fastiron272]

decrease music sound please

[@neant2]

Spoke too fast and did not answer the question whether I need one or not. This video has not been very helpful. It is difficult to tell which target audience it was aimed at.

[@ricstormwolf]

You know, you think you're explaining what pre and power amps are but you're using a lot of confusing words.

[@cubo7420]

honestly for an explanation video youre talking way to fast

[@PalleBajana]

🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

[@Maxxteves]

Why are u so much in a rush...😢...

[@webbwiley8166]

So could I use a power amp (not a guitar amp) to power a guitar cab?

[@sweetwater]

Hi, Webb. Technically yes, but you wouldn't get a great sound with the just the power amp on its own. You would need some sort of preamp first to receive the guitar signal, which could then be amplified by the power amp. A very common setup is to use some sort of amp modeler preamp (Helix, Kemper, etc.) to get the amp tone you want, and then run that into a power amp so that it can be run through a guitar cab. Thanks for your interest! Charlie Davis, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1320, [e-mail]

[@webbwiley8166]

@@sweetwater Thank you!

[@webbwiley8166]

@@sweetwater I actually have one more question. I hear a lot about needing a "line level" signal in order for the power amp to work with a guitar. I ended up getting a Peavey IPR2 2000. Will any preamp pedal work, or does it need to be one that specifically raises the instrument-level signal to line level? I tried a guitar-Big Muff Pi Triangle-Peavey Power amp-cab setup and it seemed to work fine, though I didn't have any real EQ/Tone control since the Big Muff isn't a preamp, so I'm confused. I have heard of people trying to do the same thing with a cheap Joyo preamp and either getting super low volume or an inaudible buzz or hiss noise that overrides any sound, then heard it was a line level issue.