Living in a world where there is just tension and worries in the minds of people, the one constant thing to lift them out from mental troubles is music. Music is something that is befitting in all sorts of situations. Want to get pumped up- music, feeling a little bluesy- music, missing someone- music; every human mood possible can be put into music to cheer a person up and to enjoy the same music, there are a lot of options present in the modern world- mobile devices, earphones, speakers, woofers and whatnot. But for the music geeks and buffs, even speakers and woofers mean nothing and for the very same people, sound and music systems such as amplifiers were born. However, amplifiers are synonymous with what guitarists and musicians use and hence, to remove the jargon, it is better to use the phrase ‘integrated amplifiers'.
But what is an integrated amplifier? Well, as the name suggests, it is a combination or a mixture of sorts of 2 or more things. But then again, a combination of what? Integrated amplifiers are made up of 2 components- a power amplifier which generates the ‘power' required for the amp to function and a preamplifier that is responsible for reading the incoming music streams and also contains all the functionalities to control the various aspects of the output volume.
If you are out in the market for an integrated amplifier, make sure that you ensure that the following components are present in it:
Audio Inputs
Make sure that your wishlist amplifiers have all sorts of audio inputs for what good is an amplifier that is not compatible with all sorts of devices. Audio inputs in amplifiers can be broadly categorized into 2 types- analog and digital. Analog inputs are mostly used for carrying of audio and video signals and connecting high output impedance devices such as microphones. Common analog inputs include RCA audio inputs, balanced XLR points, etc. Apart from analog inputs, digital input points are also needed because music has been made digital in present times. The must-have digital inputs include Ethernet, USB-A, USB-B, Optical, Coaxial, etc.
Output points
Amplifiers contain a variety of output means for you to enjoy your music. You can choose the right point for you depending on what you are feeling like. Common audio output points include headphone jack (to keep your music to yourself), subwoofer output (to connect a sub to enhance bass), preamp out/main in (to use the amp and the preamplifier independently), A+B speaker connectors (to connect external speakers to it).
Size
This goes without saying that if you have ample rack space, then go for a large amplifier, otherwise settle for something that fits your available space.
Power consumption
How much power your amplifier is drawing is the biggest factor you need to consider because the change in wattage ratings does not bring as much difference in the sound quality as you would hope. For example, a 200W amplifier would only throw 3-4dB of extra sound than that of a 100W amp; a hardly noticeable difference. So you need to decide how loud you need your services to be and then accordingly decide if the power consumption of your amplifier is worth it or not.
