While the maximum output voltage of an amplifier is dependent on the available rail voltage, there is no similar theoretical limitation in any of the earlier stages. Thus, one of the design criteria for high quality amplifiers is that there may not exist any form of non-linear wave form limiting at any stage, for any signal, before the natural limit of the output stage. This paper gives the mathematical requirements for such an amplifier, with special stress on transient intermodulation distortion, and suggests methods for measuring TID externally.
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https://aes2.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=2337
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