What do I need an amp for?

That's the question most of you are probably asking at this moment. Well, if your like me and need to have the sound quality just right and be able to crank it when the parents are on holiday without getting a shed load of distortion, then your going to need a decent amp.

Most of you when you buy decks will run them through the auxiliaries on the back of your stereo. This is fine and will work OK, but is your stereo good enough to take a good slamming after you have just forked out a fortune for decks and a mixer. If you have to buy new speakers then chances are your stereo will not have enough power to drive a better set of speakers than what came in the manufacturer's box - you need an amp.

I have heard of people who run their mixer through the sound card on the PC and out the computer speakers. I mean this is all good if you want to record mixes on the PC to upload or burn them to CD, but what computer speakers do you know that will take a solid slamming from a set of 1210's amplified through a cheap sound card. I do not see the point in paying for good decks and then having a poor sound setup. It doesn't help learning to mix either if you have a bad sound.

What to go for

You will find that if you amplify the standard speakers that came with your stereo you will be able to push them that little bit further and get a more clear sound. Not many people know this but the amp that comes built inside your stereo is probably about the size of a matchbox and not capable of doing much damage. You must have noticed that when you turn the volume up to a high level you get distortion and lose quality - the speakers start to fart. Most people think that this is due to the speakers not being good enough, but it is in fact the feeble amp in the hifi. You could hook up a set of £600 Cerwin Vega speakers and you would still get the same result.

If you take a look at the size of a separate amplifier and compare it to the matchbox inside your stereo you can figure out why the quality is so much better. You must not attach very high powered amplifiers to cheap speakers or it will be bonfire night come early - check out www.whathifi.com for guidelines on amps and speakers.

The amp that I currently use is the Denon PMA350SE. This has two speaker inputs and powers a pair of Wharefedale Valdus 200 and the standard JVC speakers that came with the stereo.

Denon PMA350SE This will sell for about £150 - £200. If you have a bedroom setup then this rocks any speaker that you will throw at it with it's 50Watts per channel. Connect the mixer directly into one of the channels and your away. You can plug your TV, VCR, DVD in also. It's probably not the best buy if you are really into loud crystal stereo but for a small bedroom it will definitely have the neighbor's complaining.

If you want the cheaper version then there is the PMA100M. This will probably just do as good as the 350 for a small setup.

Denon PMA100M This will probably go for about £100 or under if you can pick one up ex-demo. It has all the features you need with 25Watts per channel. This amp has bass, mid, treble controls so you can turn it down if you give it too much. The 350 does not have these as it always gets the best frequency with minimum distortion. This will do the job fine in the bedroom.

Pioneer A35R This amp features 45W per channel with two speaker outputs. This amp is valued at around £170/ $250. It has a shed load of features and being a Pioneer makes it sound good without plugging it in.

If you are after an amplifier then I would recommend visiting your local stereo retailer for advice. You might be able to pick one up second hand for buttons. They are definitely worth the money and in a bedroom DJ setup they make it sound more realistic to being in a club.

When I first got a gig and heard the noise coming out the speakers I got the shock of my life when trying to mix. I got home and just had to make mine louder for practice.

SuperAmps

Ever been to Cream or Gatecrasher and wondered what causes the roof to shake. Well yes it is those huge JBL speakers but they aren't just plugged in to the back of an Aiwa stereo from Argos. They are driven by Power Amplifiers that can give out 1500Watts of power per channel - serious noise.

This is a Matrix STR 300H. 1500W per channel and costs a few thousand quid. Imagine six of these in one club. Visit the Cream.

If you need any help wiring you stereo equipment up then click HERE.