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ZERO Feedback talk. Monarchy amps.

I know that the average SS amp design have a neg. feedback upto 50dB which lowers an input impedance significantly.
I know that we need to apply neg. feedback due to the non-linear output characteristics of transistors or even tubes.
There are the cases when I can see either low or no feedback on tube amps and I understand that very often you need no feedback on tube amps.
The Monarchy audio came up with SS amps that have zero feedback. Did anyone listened to them? The thing is that I do not personally believe that it's possible to implement SS amp with no neg. feedback.
128x128marakanetz
rwwear
2,873 posts
 
I have listened to the Monarchy amps in my system and did not like them. But I have a Krell amp that has no negative feedback that I love. You will find that most amps that run in class A do not need the neg.feedback.
bob_bundus
1,834 posts
 
Ayre Acoustics also builds exemplary specimens of solid state zero feedback class A designs; I own one - it's power hungry but very smooth indeed
bear
141 posts
 
Be careful about negative feedback. I do not believe that the Monarchy amps have no negative feedback, nor the Krells.
It is possible to build an amp with no overall LOOP feedback but that requires either "local" loop feedback or else multiple stages with relatively low gain, since each stage has to be "degenerated" (read: feedback within a stage) to permit that stage to be linear enough.

I've been told that Rowland uses some techniques like the latter two in their amps - although they may also use "current" amplification in their stages.

Class A design does NOT in an of itself permit you to remove feedback in any way. It just means that there is no built-in "crossover notch" distortion in the output stage.

_-_-bear
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