A class-D-tracking-rail class-A audio power amplifier

A tracking-rail power audio amplifier was designed and partially implemented to deliver up to 100W into an 8Q load with very low signal distortion and high power efficiency. The design uses a class-A amplifier, known for its low signal distortion but low power efficiency (less than 50%), to amplify the audio signal. Class-D amplifiers, known for their high power efficiency (greater than 85%) but high signal distortion, provide a signal output that will serve as the supply voltages of the output stage of the class-A amplifier. Thus, the rails will track the audio signal, highly increasing the power efficiency of the Class-A amplifier. This amplifier can achieve a theoretical efficiency of 80%, but, in practice, it is closer to 70%.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2004

Author dc:creator

• Caballero, Angel A., 1981-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Byron M. Roscoe.

• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28384

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/28384