I have a problem: I need to design an amplifier system in which I need to switch to a lower gain when clipping occurs. So I am thinking of something like this:

---------->-------------> op amp A (large gain) --------> output A
|
|
---------------> op amp B (smaller gain) ---------> output B

So that I can read output A when no clipping occurs and output B when clipping occurs. I am trying to avoid using variable gain op amps since I have no microcontroller at the moment in my design. My question is: is this design undesirable? Will this splitting of signals create noise?

 

It should not present a problem if the input impedances of the op amps are high enough not to load the signal of interest.

 

OpAmps with high gain are usually not a good idea. Rather than have one opamp with a gain of 1000, it is better to have two, each with a gain of 31.6. Can you cascade the two amplifiers so that gain of the second doesn't have to be as high as if it amplified the original signal?

 

Instead of switching between different opamp outputs it will be just as easy to switch the gain of a single opamp.
Instead of switching can you use a compressor/limiter?