Expert: Cleggsan - 10/1/2008

Question
Hi I was looking at the QSC RMX 850 and it has a voltage gain of 31.6x(30db) what does that mean,what is voltage gain,and is that a good gain level this amp has. Those are 3 different questions by the way.THANKS: )

Answer
1 & 2. Voltage gain is the ratio of output voltage over input voltage expressed as a numeric ratio or in dbv.  For example if the input voltage were 1v and it produced a voltage at the output of 10v the gain would be 10 or 20db.  

3.  Voltage gain is neither good nor bad, it is a characteristic.  However, most amplifiers follow the EIA/IEC amplifier standard for sensitivity and will drive to full power output with an input of about  1v. If you look just under the gain figure on the spec tabulation you will see the input sensitivity for this amp is 1.15 volts.  It is telling the user the same thing.   Professional users are more accustomed to designing system installations on gain requirements than on voltage drive, but they are essentially the same specification.

4.  This is a great amplifier.  It has a good reputation in the industry and is very reliable.  It will drive easily by just about any preamp or mixer output in an audio system.  It is a professional product and can be used in high end sound reinforcement, recording studios, high fidelity systems, very high fidelity systems and so on.

Any more questions? Let me know.

C