Negative feedback Amp=more faithful reproduction?


Negative feedback (NFB) vs zero negative feedback (ZNFB). There seems to be unsubstantiated contention that ZNFB amps sound more realistic. I know this is an age old debate favoring the ZNFB design, but I think most audiophiles have never bothered to look into this matter and believe the advertisements and proponents of zero NFB design. I have been in that camp until recently. My own experience and research into articles on this matter leads to me believe NFB is needed for faithful reproduction of music. I'm not saying NFB design is more "musical", which is a highly subjective term and usually means more euphonic or colored. I've posted a similar question awhile back, but I was hoping we can have a more evidence based discussion on this matter. Perhaps, we need clarification of descriptive terms we use to describe sound. My contention is, in general, NFB designs produces a more accurate or faithful reproduction of music than ZNFB designs. Here is a very good article on feedback and distortion:

http://sound.westhost.com/articles/distortion+fb.htm
dracule1
Roger Modjeski has some interesting views on this topic and the application of negative feedback in designs. FWIW I have an amp he designed that uses negative feedback and another that doesn't. I enjoy them both quite a bit.
The conclusions drawn by the author regarding what quantities of distortion are audible and which are not, seem to be at odds with the work of Hiraga, who would also give more importance to the relative quantities of each order of distortion rather than to their absolute values.
Negative feedback became a 'catchphrase'.. so naturally when that got tired, "No negative feedback' became a catchphrase...
See where this is going?
It actually has littel to do with how a product sounds. It is a design bit, just like dozens of design bits which have NOT managed to become an advertising handle.
The pity is some folks glomm onto it as if it actually mattered as if it is really important
I personally do not give a rat's arse whether a design uses it or not.
The undisputed answer can be found here.
Learn it, love it, live it

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1361205949&read
So let's see if I have this right, umm.
Amp negative feedback good
Audiogon negative feedback bad.......umm.