The input impedance of an electrical network is the measure of the opposition to current (impedance), both static (resistance) and dynamic (reactance), into the load network that is external to the electrical source. The input admittance (1/impedance) is a measure of the load's propensity to draw current.

The input impedance of an amplifier is the input impedance “seen” by the source driving the input of the amplifier. If it is too low, it can have an adverse loading effect on the previous stage and possibly affecting the frequency response and output signal level of that stage. But in most applications, common emitter and common collector amplifier circuits generally have high input impedances.

Some types of amplifier designs, such as the common collector amplifier circuit automatically have high input impedance and low output impedance by the very nature of their design. Amplifiers can have high input impedance, low output impedance, and virtually any arbitrary gain, but were an amplifiers input impedance is lower than desired, the output impedance of the previous stage can be adjusted to compensate or if this is not possible then buffer amplifier stages may be needed.