What are the advantages and disadvantages of integrated and split amplifiers?

          What are the advantages and disadvantages of integrated and split amplifiers?

1. What is the front and back stage circuit?

Generally speaking, the operation of the audio system is that after the playback device decodes the audio source, it transmits the signal to the pre-stage circuit through the line. After the pre-stage circuit amplifies the signal for the first time, it then sends the signal to the subsequent stage circuit. The latter stage is amplified for the second time, and finally the speaker is pushed to produce sound.

Because the signal of the playback device is very weak in both voltage and current, it is easy to be interfered. Just like in the game of word passing, if everyone uses a very small voice to pass the same sentence to the next person, then when it reaches the last person, the sentence will be completely different.

The same is true in the audio system, if the player's signal is too weak, the final sound will be messy and distorted. The function of the pre-stage circuit is to filter the noise in the original signal, and perform the first voltage amplification, and then transmit it to the post-stage circuit for the second amplification.

2. What is the front and rear amplifiers?

The power amplifier is actually the abbreviation of the power amplifier. The pre-stage circuit and the post-stage circuit are placed in different chassis independently, which is the independent pre-stage power amplifier and post-stage power amplifier. For the audio system, the front-stage power amplifier is more for audio signal reception, volume adjustment and basic signal amplification, while the rear-stage power amplifier is more for output amplification and power amplification.

In terms of appearance, the front and rear power amplifiers are also easy to distinguish. The front power amplifier has many types of input and output interfaces, but there is no speaker terminal. For the rear power amplifier, the buttons and interfaces on the panel are relatively simple, but they will definitely There are binding posts for connecting speakers. Of course, in a sound system, there may not be only one pre-amplifier and one post-amplifier. If the post-amplifier is mono, two post-amplifiers are required.

HiFi’s pre-amplifier can be divided into active and passive. This source can be understood as a power supply. The active pre-amplifier can amplify, switch, and change the signal through the power supply, while the passive pre-amplifier only relies on the input signal. It only has the effect of adjusting the volume.

3. Combined all-in-one machine

The front and rear power amplifiers are called split power amplifiers, and there is also a combined all-in-one machine.

The so-called all-in-one machine is to put the front-stage circuit and the back-stage circuit in one chassis at the same time, so that it has the functions of two parts of the circuit at the same time. With the rise of digital music, the functions of the all-in-one machine are becoming more and more abundant. All-in-one power amplifiers are also becoming more and more common.

For example, Naim Uniti Nova, which is actually like an all-in-one music system, integrates wireless Wi-Fi and Bluetooth access, multiple sets of analog and digital audio inputs, analog audio level output, digital decoding playback, power amplification, etc. Functions in one, you can enjoy music directly with a mobile phone or a tablet, and a good bookshelf box is a very good audio system.

4. Advantages and disadvantages of split type & combined type

The split type front and rear power amplifiers and the integrated all-in-one have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Because the front-end circuit deals with very weak signals, it is very susceptible to electromagnetic interference. The design of the split front and back stages can completely eliminate the interference of the rear-stage circuit on the front-end circuit, and allow customers to have more collocations during the purchase process. choose.

However, with the same sound quality, the price of the split type will be more expensive, and it will be more troublesome for friends who cannot match or have limited wallets.

Since the integrated power amplifier has the front and rear circuits in the same chassis, many configurations will generate electromagnetic interference, which will have a certain negative impact on the sound quality, so many audiophiles think that the split type is considered a fever.

But for friends who don't know how to match and want to experience a sound system with a certain sound quality, the all-in-one machine is undoubtedly a very suitable choice.