Zu Soul Superfly

Paulfolbrecht:

It is entirely possible I will not be able to tell the difference between those amps I mention. After I hear them, I will say one way or the other.

I can hear strain with low power t-amp (below ~50 WPC) which I do not hear with 100 WPC Rotel ICE implementation, but what can I say. Class-d sounds like class-d.

I mean, we have people who say Zu's work with 3W flea amps, and people who say 3-6db difference between left and right channel make no difference, and toe-in (for massively directional HF speakers) makes no difference. So you can add to that list a guy who says class-d sounds like class-d no matter how much you pay for its.

>>...and people who say 3-6db difference between left and right channel make no difference, and toe-in (for massively directional HF speakers) makes no difference.<<

Now, Zanon. I don't think we had anyone in this thread say any of those things. But some people do like their 3 watts and are willing to live within their limits.

Phil

Phil:

I am so sorry. When you said "you'd be surprised about the number of people for whom a 5db difference of any kind just doesn't register" I thought you meant I'd be surprised about the number of people for whom a 5db difference of any kind just doesn't register.

It seems that what you actually meant was that a "3-6db difference between left and right channels" *does* make a difference.

And class-d suddenly sounds better when you pay quadruple digits for it, but a wheezing congested midrange as 3 puny watts fails to power high-90 low-100 speaker is fine to those "willing to live within their limits" because people are enamored so of their watts, and care nothing for the sound it products.

Zanon,

No, I meant what I said. Which wasn't that a 3db - 6db difference in channel balance doesn't matter to me, or you or many other people here but that there are plenty of folks in the non-audiophile music-focused crowd that either don't notice it or don't care enough to change what's causing it even if they drop two Large on a pair of speakers. Their comparative indifference to one quality that matters to us may not compromise their enjoyment of music from their hi-fi whatsoever.

As for flea-power SET amps, that's the whole point. 2 - 3 watts aren't convincing to me and I suppose not for you, but for someone who values specific attributes of a 45 or 2a3 SET amp enough to listen within the dynamic limits of a third clean watt on a 101db/w/m speaker, the midrange won't be congested. It just gets congested quickly if said listener pushes even a skosh beyond that. So someone like me doesn't have to recommend flea power to appreciate why some folks are satisfied by a narrow performance attribute. After all, Quad ESL57s don't have much dynamic range, nor power handling worth mentioning, plus they beam like lasers, yet they still have a fanatical following after more than 50 years.

I have no defense however to offer for the sound quality of Class-D, thus far in its evolution. Except that it gets some people out of earbuds and into speakers, which is a first step for bringing fresh blood into our interest. Does a cheap Tri-Path sound any worse than, say, a grating Dynaco SCA-80Q did circa 1970? No. It sounds better and it's vastly cheaper and more accessible too in real dollars. Give the kids and anyone else with thin finances a break. If we get them in in the tent, we have plenty of time to show them old school.

Phil

Would the VTL Tiny Triode be a good match? $700 too much to pay for this amp?