So … how much headroom does a system really need?

Paul McGowan writes: I suppose the term “headroom” must have come about in response to tall people trying to make sure there’s enough room for their heads to go through a doorway or fit into a carriage.  Makes sense anyway. In audio, headroom means that there’s enough space to amplify music without running into the […]

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PS AUDIO: Class is now in session

Paul McGowan … Sorry about the headline, just couldn’t resist.  We are going to start delving into the working of Class D amps, also incorrectly known as “digital amps” and correctly labeled PWM amps – short for Pulse Width Modulation. As is our custom we’ll start with an overview and then get into details. It’s […]

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PS AUDIO: Global feedback

When we speak of global feedback we’re referring to the practice of wrapping the output signal of a device back to its input for comparison and correction. Because the input “knows” what’s right, a simple comparison circuit between the two serves to rectify any differences. Of course, nothing in engineering is a free lunch. You […]

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