Wisdom Audio Series SA-3 - Manual (Page 9)

9
In fact, many Wisdom Audio systems take this multiple-amp-per-speaker idea
even further. When you add one or more dedicated subwoofers that handle
only the deepest bass, the system is “tri-amplified.” That is, you enjoy the bene-
fits of having separate, dedicated amplifiers and drivers handling only the deep-
est bass, then the rest of the bass, and then the midrange and high frequencies
(on the planar magnetic drivers).
High Efficiency The benefits of enormous power reserves are fairly obvious: freedom from any
audible strain, greater dynamic impact, and the ability to hear music and movie
soundtracks at their intended volume without worrying about whether the
system can handle it.
However, the traditional methods for achieving this required level of perfor-
mance involve bulky, heavy designs that generate a great deal of heat. When
you multiply the number of channels required for a modern home theater ap-
plication times two (for bi-amplification), and add in one or more dedicated sub-
woofers, suddenly you have need for smaller, more efficient amplifier designs.
The system amplifiers used to drive the woofer sections of your Sage series
loudspeakers from Wisdom Audio fit the bill nicely. While many contemporary
amplifiers waste 50% or more of the power they pull from the wall as heat, your
SA-3 amplifier runs at approximately 90% efficiency. As a result, more power is
available for the loudspeaker, and less is wasted as heat in your room.
The high efficiency of the SA-series design also means that the amplifiers can be
placed in close proximity to each other, as in an equipment rack, without undue
overheating. Of course, care must be taken to account for the heat generated
by other components in the rack; but your Wisdom Audio amplifiers will not
greatly contribute to the thermal management challenges of your system.
Small-Box Compensation People today want the best of everything. When it comes to their home en-
tertainment systems, they want high performance while having relatively low
impact on the décor. This desire becomes even more important in a home the-
ater situation, in which there might be six to ten speakers in the room. Having
that many large, imposing loudspeakers in a room is simply not on most peo-
ple’s wish list.
The Sage system has been designed with this reality in mind. The enclosures are
quite compact, which would normally limit the bass performance rather signifi-
cantly. But thanks to the remarkably robust design of the woofers developed for
the Sage system, we can compensate for the unusually small enclosures with the
addition of extra power.
The notion of trading power requirements for small size has been used exten-
sively in subwoofer designs for over thirty years, and is well proven. Wisdom
Audio has now brought these same benefits to the main speakers, in order to
achieve outstanding bass performance in speakers of modest size.
The Wisdom Audio SA-3 amplifier was designed from the outset to provide the
extra power required by this approach.