Hi Unsound,
Yes, "such a ss amplifier would almost always be able to provide more linear output regardless of whether they are ESL's or dynamic speakers, and that would hold true whether or not the impedance swings were wide or not." (Assuming that by "linear" you are referring to flat frequency response).
However, as I indicated that is not what matters. What matters, with respect to this issue, is the frequency response flatness of the output of the SPEAKER, as judged against the INPUT to the AMPLIFIER. Which in turn depends on how suitable the match is between amplifier output impedance and the design of the particular speaker.
Frequency response flatness at the amplifier output/speaker input has no direct relevance. Speakers whose impedance varies significantly as a function of frequency, and that match most optimally with tube amps, can be presumed to require a non-flat frequency response at their input terminals to produce an acoustic output whose frequency response is flat. If such a speaker is mated with a solid state amplifier having near zero output impedance, frequency response flatness will have been optimized at the output of the amplifier, but it will be wrong at the output of the speaker.
Best regards,
-- Al
Yes, "such a ss amplifier would almost always be able to provide more linear output regardless of whether they are ESL's or dynamic speakers, and that would hold true whether or not the impedance swings were wide or not." (Assuming that by "linear" you are referring to flat frequency response).
However, as I indicated that is not what matters. What matters, with respect to this issue, is the frequency response flatness of the output of the SPEAKER, as judged against the INPUT to the AMPLIFIER. Which in turn depends on how suitable the match is between amplifier output impedance and the design of the particular speaker.
Frequency response flatness at the amplifier output/speaker input has no direct relevance. Speakers whose impedance varies significantly as a function of frequency, and that match most optimally with tube amps, can be presumed to require a non-flat frequency response at their input terminals to produce an acoustic output whose frequency response is flat. If such a speaker is mated with a solid state amplifier having near zero output impedance, frequency response flatness will have been optimized at the output of the amplifier, but it will be wrong at the output of the speaker.
Best regards,
-- Al