Systems Integration Asia – April-May 2018

TECH TALK^49

However, some clever amplifiers are designed to store (reserve)
energy during the 'quiet” moments, and deploy it when required as
an addional boost to what they are currently geng from the
power source. This, in a nutshell, is burst mode power operaon.
The ability to stockpile power and deliver it when needed and thus
achieve capabilies beyond those of the power source.

Of course, the stockpile, or energy reservoir of burst mode
amplifiers is limited. Managing strategies for that reservoir vary
from the rather crude cung of audio playback, to rather elegant
applicaon of varying degrees of compression and liming,
achieving thus a more transparent performance without ever
depleng the reserves nor draw more power than that available.
This prevents tripping the fuse on the mains supply, or causing the
switch providing the PoE to shut down the port.

Brave new World

Choosing the right amplifier for a job is tricky. It is a very
commodised and price-sensive secon of the market and oen
newer technologies are overlooked or dismissed in favour of a tried
and tested method. But that can result in over-specifying and thus
unnecessarily increasing the overall cost of the design, without
providing advantages to the user. A system designer will do well to
understand what different technologies can bring to the table and
use that knowledge to make informed decisions. Aer all, neither
Lauda nor Fangio enjoyed the most outright powerful car all of the
me. Yet, they won.

S I A

Marn M. Bonsoir, MInstSCE, is the Internaonal Applicaons

Engineering Manager at Biamp Systems, overseeing technical

operaons globally outside of the Americas. With more than 23

years of industry experience, Marn's passion for people and all

things audiovisual connues to add richness and insight to his work

every day.

http://www.biamp.com