Knowledge

Gain compression

Source 📝

184: 49: 435:
circuits are intentionally designed to actively change the overall gain in response to the level of the input, resulting in a transfer function that may vary over time. Gain compression on the other hand is a consequence of analog amplifier circuit non-linearities that are generally undesired.
187:
Power transfer curve for an ideal amplifier (green) with a linear gain of 3 and a real amplifier (red) whose gain gets more compressed as the input increases. At 2 Watts input, the ideal amplifier outputs 6 Watts while the real amplifier outputs ~5 Watts (a gain compression of
208:
gain of the amplifier, such that an increase in input will not be matched by a proportional increase in output. Gain compression is the difference between the ideal linear power transfer curve and the real circuit's power transfer curve.
281:
range of the device, the effective gain is reduced, altering the shape of the waveform. The effect is also present in transistor circuits. The extent of the effect depends on the topology of the amplifier.
471: 302:
for RF amplifiers list gain compression rather than distortion figures because it's easier to measure and is more important than distortion figures in nonlinear RF amplifiers.
30:
This article is about reduction in an amplifier's gain caused by circuit imperfections. For a process that intentionally reduces the dynamic range of audio signals, see
205: 431:
is a more general term that typically refers to intentional compression, and may be done in the digital realm or analog realm.
113: 491: 233:
Nonlinearity may be caused by heat due to power dissipation. Also, a transistor's operating point may move with temperature.
85: 92: 132: 66: 277:
A tube radio or tube amplifier will increase in volume to a point, and then as the input signal extends beyond the
99: 70: 226:
results from nonlinear transfer curves. And once an amplifier's maximum amplitude is reached, signals will be
326: 81: 17: 478:, The Cambridge RF and Microwave Engineering Series, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1–46, 314: 384:, would be grossly overloaded and generate mixing products. This is a typical effect of gain compression. 445: 357:
receiver, should improve the transmission range. It works, but the receiver may also pick up a couple of
204:
circuit characteristics. The output of large amplitude inputs will be less than expected than using the
524: 519: 428: 419: 257:
circuits, due to topology differences, possibly causing the differences in audio performance called "
31: 298:
more like gain compression simply because the harmonics are filtered out after amplification. Many
59: 432: 106: 403: 269:
are particularly susceptible to this phenomenon when overloaded by a strong unwanted signal.
407: 373: 369: 358: 8: 350: 223: 156: 487: 392: 330: 193: 164: 479: 470:
Root, David E.; Xu, Jianjun; Pedro, José Carlos; Nunes, Luís Cótimos, eds. (2018),
377: 346: 266: 227: 220:
compression of the output power (OP), corresponding to a gain ratio of 10 = 79.4%.
201: 35: 246: 483: 513: 242: 476:
Nonlinear Circuit Simulation and Modeling: Fundamentals for Microwave Design
406:. This causes less power to be drawn from the amplifier and a reduction in 322: 290:
Gain compression in RF amplifiers is similar to soft clipping. However, in
172: 160: 413: 396: 250: 183: 399: 313:
systems, the nonlinear effects are readily visible, e.g. the output is
299: 291: 258: 254: 354: 310: 262: 197: 168: 48: 365: 334: 306: 423: 217: 34:. For processes that reduce the size of digital audio files, see 278: 381: 318: 241:
Gain compression is relevant in any system with a wide
414:
Distinction with intentional dynamic range compression
329:
of at least 10 GHz is needed. Observing with a
216:, which is the power input that results in a 1  188:
0.79 dB). Its OP1dB is just above 2 Watts.
73:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 395:is a form of gain compression that takes place in 364:For example, if channel 54 is transmitting 6  230:, resulting in even stronger harmonic distortion. 511: 469: 212:An important gain compression parameter is the 285: 340: 387: 200:range, gain compression will occur due to 133:Learn how and when to remove this message 182: 380:, the RF front end, expecting −80  14: 512: 402:when they heat up and increase their 333:, the fundamental compressed and the 27:Reduction in gain due to nonlinearity 465: 463: 461: 71:adding citations to reliable sources 42: 24: 317:. To see the same thing at 1  25: 536: 458: 272: 47: 472:"Linear and Nonlinear Circuits" 58:needs additional citations for 361:stations around 700 MHz. 13: 1: 451: 236: 196:an amplifier beyond its the 7: 446:Third-order intercept point 439: 286:Radio-frequency compression 178: 10: 541: 417: 341:Examples of RF compression 29: 484:10.1017/9781316492963.002 429:Dynamic range compression 420:Dynamic range compression 32:Dynamic range compression 36:Audio compression (data) 388:High-power loudspeakers 353:to a consumer 900  249:. It is more common in 433:Automatic gain control 189: 186: 408:sound pressure level 294:systems, the effect 261:". The front-end RF 67:improve this article 351:directional antenna 245:, such as audio or 224:Harmonic distortion 190: 148:is a reduction in 82:"Gain compression" 525:Signal processing 520:Audio engineering 493:978-1-107-14059-2 393:Power compression 331:spectrum analyzer 165:transfer function 143: 142: 135: 117: 16:(Redirected from 532: 504: 503: 502: 500: 467: 146:Gain compression 138: 131: 127: 124: 118: 116: 75: 51: 43: 21: 540: 539: 535: 534: 533: 531: 530: 529: 510: 509: 508: 507: 498: 496: 494: 468: 459: 454: 442: 426: 418:Main articles: 416: 390: 343: 288: 275: 267:radio receivers 239: 181: 139: 128: 122: 119: 76: 74: 64: 52: 39: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 538: 528: 527: 522: 506: 505: 492: 456: 455: 453: 450: 449: 448: 441: 438: 415: 412: 389: 386: 349:, if fed by a 342: 339: 287: 284: 274: 271: 253:circuits than 238: 235: 180: 177: 141: 140: 55: 53: 46: 26: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 537: 526: 523: 521: 518: 517: 515: 495: 489: 485: 481: 477: 473: 466: 464: 462: 457: 447: 444: 443: 437: 434: 430: 425: 421: 411: 409: 405: 401: 398: 394: 385: 383: 379: 375: 371: 367: 362: 360: 356: 352: 348: 338: 336: 332: 328: 324: 320: 316: 312: 308: 303: 301: 297: 293: 283: 280: 273:Audio effects 270: 268: 264: 260: 256: 252: 248: 244: 243:dynamic range 234: 231: 229: 225: 221: 219: 215: 210: 207: 206:small signals 203: 199: 195: 185: 176: 174: 170: 166: 162: 158: 155: 151: 147: 137: 134: 126: 115: 112: 108: 105: 101: 98: 94: 91: 87: 84: –  83: 79: 78:Find sources: 72: 68: 62: 61: 56:This article 54: 50: 45: 44: 41: 37: 33: 19: 18:Soft clipping 497:, retrieved 475: 427: 391: 363: 347:RF amplifier 345:A low-noise 344: 337:picking up. 323:oscilloscope 304: 295: 289: 276: 240: 232: 222: 213: 211: 191: 173:large-signal 161:nonlinearity 153: 150:differential 149: 145: 144: 129: 120: 110: 103: 96: 89: 77: 65:Please help 60:verification 57: 40: 400:voice coils 397:loudspeaker 300:data sheets 259:valve sound 194:overdriving 171:device for 514:Categories 452:References 404:resistance 292:narrowband 255:transistor 169:amplifying 159:caused by 123:March 2022 93:newspapers 335:harmonics 327:bandwidth 311:frequency 237:Relevance 202:nonlinear 499:11 March 440:See also 309:and low- 307:wideband 179:Overview 175:inputs. 424:Limiter 325:with a 315:clipped 228:clipped 163:of the 107:scholar 490:  376:, and 279:linear 198:linear 167:of an 109:  102:  95:  88:  80:  321:, an 296:looks 214:OP1dB 192:When 154:slope 114:JSTOR 100:books 501:2022 488:ISBN 422:and 263:amps 251:tube 157:gain 86:news 480:doi 382:dBm 368:of 359:UHF 355:MHz 319:GHz 305:In 265:of 152:or 69:by 516:: 486:, 474:, 460:^ 410:. 378:PM 374:FM 372:, 370:AM 366:MW 247:RF 218:dB 482:: 136:) 130:( 125:) 121:( 111:· 104:· 97:· 90:· 63:. 38:. 20:)

Index

Soft clipping
Dynamic range compression
Audio compression (data)

verification
improve this article
adding citations to reliable sources
"Gain compression"
news
newspapers
books
scholar
JSTOR
Learn how and when to remove this message
gain
nonlinearity
transfer function
amplifying
large-signal

overdriving
linear
nonlinear
small signals
dB
Harmonic distortion
clipped
dynamic range
RF
tube

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.