2. amps-preamps
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Is there actually a difference?

Speakers sound different - that is very obvious. But I’ve never experienced a drastic change between amps. Disclaimer that I’ve never personally ABX tested any extremely high end gear.

With all these articles claiming every other budget amp is a "giant killer", I’ve been wondering if there has ever been blind tests done with amplifiers to see if human ears can consistently tell the difference. You can swear to yourself that they do sound different, but the mind is a powerful thing, and you can never be sure unless it’s a truly blind test.

One step further - even IF we actually can tell the difference and we can distinguish a certain amp 7/10 times under extreme scrutiny, is it really worth the thousands you are shelling out to get that nearly-imperceivable .01% increase in performance?

Not looking to stir up any heated debate. I’ve been in audio for several years now and have always thought about this.
asianatorizzle
treynolds155
27 posts
 
tomfoolery,
Very interesting info, I'm not familiar with level matching....will have to look into that. And this is a great discussion for me as it's primarily what I'm concentrating my efforts on now. Here's been my experiences...just my two pennies.
  1. The very best system I've heard had a tube amp. Not going to argue the merits/faults of tubes but it just sounded incredibly musical and captivating to me. 
  2. The next best systems I've heard had class A amps. They seemed to come close to the sound of tube amps.
  3. A/B amps of various brands and quality seem like they can get closer to a class A amp. 
  4. Class D I have no hands on experience with other than what I've read. 
So my "unicorn" system would have the efficiency of Class D, would sound like a tube amp, but would also be able to be switched to sound like A/AB for home theatre and some types of music. Impossible I know, just wanted to expand on the OP's question of differences and hear other's thoughts on the above "class warfare" lol. 
kahlenz
168 posts
 
There is a difference. Most systems benefit from having an amplifier that has characteristics that optimize the sound of the speakers (in your room, playing the music you listen to, at volumes you are comfortable with).

Your listening habits, room and speakers will make much more difference, provided you are using a well specified amp that can produce the appropriate amount of power. The quality of your program material will also make a huge difference.
chrisoshea
116 posts
 
Indeed...the speaker and headphone match with the amplifier is a key factor in great sound for any system....Buy what you like and can afford. Hifi has something for everyone at most any price point....
abrew19
145 posts
 
"Any yutz with ears can hear the difference between an amplifier before and after vibration isolation. Well, maybe not the bullet headed dude from Audio Review."

Do you mean Julian Hirsch from Stereo Review?

partroysound
21 posts
 
Kinda unrelated to this discussion but how much of a difference is there between a very early Levinson (ML3,ML9) and a current one or similar brand? I've always wanted to know.
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