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Bass&Trouble · 2nd October 2006, 19:51

I'm sure we could all trust me to throw myself into this one. after all, I love controversial threads.

A lot of stuff in there is quite right. A lot of the differences that we could perceive between two different car or intergrated amplifiers could originate because of the quality of other equipment involved or because of the crossover stage, or some other parts that went into the pre-amp etc. Comparing one pure power amp to another pure power amp with truly comparable ratings, and similar power delivery wouldn't allow for much to be discerned unless it was a very very lengthy listening test, and even after that there could be a chance that the two amps still sound identical. No one could tell the difference with a few minutes of A-B testing.

A watt is not a watt, and there is no reason to say that there would be only one amplifier manufacturer then or something. Amplifiers are unique, and with different design considerations. And in car amp, it isn't just the output stage, there are other stages where the quality and choice of parts makes a difference in the sound quality. For example, there are some amplifier manufacturers who wouldn't put rotary crossover adjustment devices in their amps because those could wear over time and not perform as well as modules with fixed resistance that could be added as per need.

Inspite of all this, if the amps are putting out the same power with near equal other charachterisitcs it's going to be terribly difficult to blindly say which is what. Possible certainly, but very very difficult.

If someone asked me what an amp is like, my suggestion is based on the overall charachteristics of the amp and its suitability for the job at hand. An amp said to be better will have better numbers, better build quality etc. this will also mean more power, good quality of parts that don't mess with the sound etc.

Another version of this argument would be someone telling me that they can hear the difference between two identically rated amplifier power cables, or a distribution block or something. Is there anyone who really thinks that?

2nd October 2006, 19:51	#11 (permalink)
Bass&Trouble Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bombay Posts: 2,297	I'm sure we could all trust me to throw myself into this one. after all, I love controversial threads. A lot of stuff in there is quite right. A lot of the differences that we could perceive between two different car or intergrated amplifiers could originate because of the quality of other equipment involved or because of the crossover stage, or some other parts that went into the pre-amp etc. Comparing one pure power amp to another pure power amp with truly comparable ratings, and similar power delivery wouldn't allow for much to be discerned unless it was a very very lengthy listening test, and even after that there could be a chance that the two amps still sound identical. No one could tell the difference with a few minutes of A-B testing. A watt is not a watt, and there is no reason to say that there would be only one amplifier manufacturer then or something. Amplifiers are unique, and with different design considerations. And in car amp, it isn't just the output stage, there are other stages where the quality and choice of parts makes a difference in the sound quality. For example, there are some amplifier manufacturers who wouldn't put rotary crossover adjustment devices in their amps because those could wear over time and not perform as well as modules with fixed resistance that could be added as per need. Inspite of all this, if the amps are putting out the same power with near equal other charachterisitcs it's going to be terribly difficult to blindly say which is what. Possible certainly, but very very difficult. If someone asked me what an amp is like, my suggestion is based on the overall charachteristics of the amp and its suitability for the job at hand. An amp said to be better will have better numbers, better build quality etc. this will also mean more power, good quality of parts that don't mess with the sound etc. Another version of this argument would be someone telling me that they can hear the difference between two identically rated amplifier power cables, or a distribution block or something. Is there anyone who really thinks that? __________________ Operator! Give me the number for 911!