You are designing an audio amplifier circuit using an operational amplifier. You want to ensure that the output signal remains stable and does not distort at high input levels. Given that op-amps have high but finite gain, which design consideration is most critical for maintaining output stability in your circuit?

The most critical design choice is to set a finite closed‑loop gain with negative feedback so that the op‑amp never needs to drive its output to the rails. By selecting resistor values that give a modest gain—say, 10× instead of 100×—you keep the output voltage well inside the supply limits and avoid saturation. This keeps the amplifier linear and prevents distortion that would otherwise occur when the input is large. For example, using a 10 kΩ feedback resistor and a 1 kΩ input resistor gives a gain of 10, so a 1 V input produces only 10 V at the output, well below a 12 V supply. Thus, careful closed‑loop gain design is the key to stable, undistorted output.