2. amps-preamps
  3. 137752-82411

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
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geek101
284 posts
 
How the amp performs depends very much on your speakers. 

It it is easy to slap a pretty chassis and spend money on marketing and call
it a Lamborghini of AMPs.

The exponential curve of SPL vs power requirements make amp design a trade off. Also a trade off for listener is like speakers, how far to sit from them and levels one likes to listen to etc.

It is not very difficult to A/B test in your home. Just have an app for SPL match after swapping the cables and listen to the same track. 

Again in you may not like the AMP that performs well :), due to your sound preference.
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