Weight of amplifier due to mains transformer?

[treez]

Hello,

This 100 Watt Class B guitar amplifier weighs 20.25Kg

**broken link removed**

(Weight shown at bottom of page)

...Why is it so heavy? (in your opinion)......is it due to a mains transformer power supply?

....or is it due to the weight of the heatsinks on the Class B amplifier?

 

[FoxyRick]

Heaviest: Probably the case/enclosure!
Next: Transformer
Then: Heat sink

 

[rfredel]

Hello treez,

I see a light block of aluminum with cooling fins, called heatsink, a heavy package of iron full with copper wire, called transformer and a very heavy case / enclosure.

....or is it due to the weight of the heatsinks on the Class B amplifier?

No, the heatsink is not to heavy. It's made of aluminum.

The heaviest two thinks are the enclosure and the transformer.

Regards

Rainer

 

[treez]

:grin:Thanks for the crystal ball reading!!

So you are sure this contains a 50Hz mains transformer, and not a switch mode power supply?

 

[jeffrey samuel]

Nope smps are generally not so heavy as a 50 Hz mains transformer

Due to this relation

size of transformer inversely proportional to the frequency of the AC signal transformed

So SMPS of same power rating is always lighter than tranfo of 50 Hz frequency

 

[FvM]

The very most guitar amplifiers are using regular mains transformers. You can expect 2.5 to 3.5 kg weight share for a 100 W amplifier (about 200 to 250 VA).

 

[treez]

Thanks ,

So is a 250VA mains transformer a lot cheaper than a 250W SMPS?

 

[rfredel]

Hello treez,

what is cheaper is not the question.

SMPS make trouble with noise. A good audio designer will never use SMPS, because he can not calculate the trouble.

For myself I have try to develope a sound Mixer and the amp with SMPS first. After the first test I have put the SMPS in trush because of so much noise. This SMPS was an industrial device, not selfmade.

You'll never find SMPS in devices for studio using. It's really to bad.

Regards

Rainer

 

[jeffrey samuel]

The transformer noise is comparatively more tolerable than that of SMPS due to this reason transformer transformer operates in 50 Hz the sensitivity of our ears is some what lesser and if the same is done at a higher freq say 2kHz the sensitivity is more and so more significant noise prevails over the audio set up

This cos the familiarity of tranf over SMPS in audio setups

hope it helps

 

[treez]

Thanks, but surely 50Hz transformer noise is at 100Hz, due to the rectifier bridge.

Even in a 50Hz mains transformer, the noisy harmonics of the switching of the mains rectifier diodes extends up into the MHz range.

Do you believe, as i do, that the audio business uses noise as an excuse to avoid using SMPS, becuase they find mains transformers easier to design and maintain the design thereof.?

 

[jeffrey samuel]

there is a possibility but cost is s concern i guess

SMPS are costlier i think

but the required frequency of an audio speaker is just 22k dono more in this field to be more exact

 

[FvM]

Do you believe, as i do, that the audio business uses noise as an excuse to avoid using SMPS, becuase they find mains transformers easier to design and maintain the design thereof.?

Sounds queer. Why would anybody need an excuse not to use SMPS? For guitar amplifiers that come in a large case to "carry weight" there's no particular need for lighter and smaller power supplies.

I know that newer professional audio equipment often uses SMPS. An obvious advantage is that it can be used around the world without caring for different mains voltages.

SMPS interferences can be controlled with respective filter effort. Most mains operated equipment is safety class 1, using a protective earth. Here's it's easy to bleed off all interferences to PE. Small isolated class 2 "battery eliminators" are more a problem in this regard.