One Amp To ‘Rule’ Them All....

No.


With amplifiers - **all** amplifiers- its all about distortion- what distortion the amp makes and what distortion it doesn't make.


Because the ear converts all forms of distortion into tonality (a fact that has been known since at least the 1930s) all amplifiers therefore also have colorations.


Solid state colorations are just as audible as tube colorations hence the tubes/transistors debate which is older than the internet.


Feedback reduces distortion, but adds distortions of its own (see Norman Crowhurst); we've known this fact for 60-70 years. So amps that employ feedback will be brighter and harsher than real music.

So there isn't and can't be an actual amplifier that is a benchmark, that is completely uncolored.

I trust this isn’t a Total Harmonic Distortion squabble. Because THD was shown to be a red herring dons ago. 

No

Here you go. 

http://steinwaylyngdorf.com/steinway-sons-model-a1a2/

Whether the application be for live, in the studio, or in the home listening, we, the audio community, would never agree on a single one anyway. As listeners, we are all different, and we all want what we like. And what each of us likes, is not universal.