[Elecraft] K2 Audio-Hi Cur-Low P signs and wonders

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

But ONE thing on the CTRL board that stumps my thoughts is the LM380N-8
AF Amp(audio).  The VAC going in to the IN1 and IN2 are higher than the
OUT line. Why is it that way??? I thought that if it is an amp that it
is supposed to increase the voltage going out.  And what does 'N-8'
signify for the part name "LM380N-8"??
Daniel
kg4dni 

LM380 is a power amplifier, which means that the voltage produced is
dependent upon the impedance of the load. In this case input impedance
is much higher than the output impedance, so the input voltage is much
higher, even though the amplifier delivers a lot more power at the
output. 

To put it another way, if you hooked your low-impedance speaker or
phones to the audio line at the input of the LM380, you'd see a lot less
voltage across the speaker or phones than you see across them at the
output of the 380 now.

Ron AC7AC
K2 # 1289