Power amplifier classes

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In electronics, power amplifier classes are letter symbols applied to different power amplifier types. The class gives a broad indication of an amplifier's efficiency, linearity and other characteristics. Broadly, as you go through the alphabet, the amplifiers become more efficient but less linear, and the reduced linearity is dealt with through other means. The first classes, A, AB, B, and C, are related to the time period that the active amplifier device is passing current, expressed as a fraction of the period of a signal waveform applied to the input. This metric is known as conduction angle ( θ {\displaystyle \theta } ). A class-A amplifier is conducting through the entire period of the signal ( θ = 360 ∘ {\displaystyle \theta =360^{\circ }} ), class-B only for one-half the input period ( θ =...

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