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
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
sktn77a
They have to do it over and over again to prove to the "golden ears" that there truly is no real difference!!!

>>>>You’re close. Very close! It’s actually to prove to themselves they’re not deaf and that it’s OK to have a mediocre system.
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erik_squires
16,050 posts
 
There are, in my mind, kind of 3 amps you should listen to and see if you think they sound the same:

Parasound
Pass
Ayre

These amps to me are rather opposed to each other in terms of sound. 

If you cannot tell the difference between them, buy the cheapest one. :) 

Best,

E
jhills
613 posts
 
Back in the early 80s, a audio enthusiast friend and myself, each had a 100W HK SS power amp and had Audible Illusions pre-amps. My speakers, at the time was the Vandy 2c and I think his was the Pioneer HPM100s. In short - our audio dealer loaned us a new little amp to bring home and try for a week - It was the 80W, PSE Studio II.
Somewhat believing Julian's stories about all SS amps sounding the same, I was expecting to hear very little, if any difference. What a surprise - in both systems, in every way, the little, PSE out performed the HKs. It was like removing a veil.
Needless to say, I picked up the PSE. Even though I went from the Vandy 2Cs to the Vandy 2Ci to the Quad ESL 63s, the PSE stayed and served me very well....Jim
belvedere2
41 posts
 
I've tried various amps over the years both SS and tube. Differing amounts of watts from 60 up to 1000 depending on speaker ohms. Tried many kinds of speakers; easy to drive and some not so easy. I always found what sounded best were high current designs regardless of power output or speaker efficiency. Synergy between components is important too. My higher wattage systems never sounded as good as my lower wattage systems that were high current. Mainly a Pioneer M-22 or Threshold S/300. The other amps had higher power ratings but never sounded good. And those were the ones I had full recaps on or upgraded.
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