does more power=better quality ?

Raquel,

Again, you ignore the science that all else being equal,
the higher power amp is more linear - that's just a FACT
of science.

I've read John Atkinson's pg 1 Stereophile editorial. I'm
not commenting on blind testing at all. I'm talking PHYSICS!

You may have heard a lot of equipment since 1977, but I've
both heard and measured equipment since 1977, and I know
the physical principles on which audio is based.

You can't get around the fact that the less you push the
active devices - be they tubes or transistors - the better.

Real tubes and real transistors are not linear.

The problem with audiophiles that only listen and never
measure is that they confuse what they like for accuracy.

I've experimented with audiophile friends, where I distort
the signal on purpose - rolling off frequencies, altering
time constants, etc. and the audiophile prefers it!

I believe a lot of audiophiles prefer music that has had
the harsh "edges" removed by some wimpy amp. You may
prefer it - but it is not accurate.

Real musical instruments have these "edges".

From your listening experience, though vast, you can only
say what you like - you can't say what is accurate.

Accuracy comes in making comparisons of REAL instruments
with recordings of THAT instrument - which is what I've done.

You can't make a blanket statement that low power amps
are "cleaner". The only thing they've "cleaned up" are
real characteristics of real instruments.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist

"I believe a lot of audiophiles prefer music that has had
the harsh "edges" removed by some wimpy amp. You may
prefer it - but it is not accurate."

This may hold some water. But it isn't the case with all of us . Now your making blanket statements. Not all flea powered amps are created equal. I can't live with warm and fuzzy. Just doesn't work for me.

I've heard high powered amps that round edges off and make all recordings sound like I have cotton in my ears. My flea powered amp doesn't do this. I do not want to argue just trying to clear the notion that all low wattage amplifiers smooth over the recordings.

Good Listening!

Raquel, I've followed this thread with interest and I want to congratulate you on your brilliance and fairness. The law profession is lucky to have you. As for the pompous little bully, we can only pity him for needing to proclaim himself with his scientific qualifications and HUGE FONTS to compensate for something we don't want to know about.

I too have followed this thread and was interested to read an engineering/scientific point of view as to why a higher powered amp has the potential to be more refined when it has more amplifying devices. And I feel Mr. Greenman made a fair and honest attempt to explain this. As for him being labeled a pompous bully, I don't see the justification for this at all. At least he has the integrity to sign his name here.

As for the use of huge fonts, I suspect it is due to his frustration that his measured lab results are at significant odds with claims by others on device linearity, semiconductor theory, etc., that are more based on home and audio shop listening experiences, magazine reports, etc., than bench testing.

It's always unfortunate when a thread of potential value results in a game of "I can write and speak better than you, so my advice to you is to not even bother trying to beat me here". It matters to me not at all how someone speaks in court as it's all a game of whose more clever with words and very little substance there anyway. But trying to discern why and how two amplifiers of a same company may sound different strictly due to the number of power output devices....now, we have some substance. And the simplicity of a set of graphs comparing device linearity, should be rather straight forward to present even to a court room.....well, one where the judge or jury has at least some level of technical competence. But I'm not even going to get into that.

If I went to an audio shop and the sound of a $200k system was no match for a system in another room, at a fraction of that cost, the only conclusion I'd make is that the owner of that shop needs to get in that high priced room and find out what is wrong. Until that was resolved, I would not give a lot of credit to the shop owner beyond his/her ability to throw high-priced products together in an attempt to impress others. And if I did suspect it was an amplifier fault or difference, I would definitely want to hear another amplifier in that system in an attempt to eliminate the amp as the cause of the problem or lack of "musicality".

Oh, and the issue of linear amplification ........ ah yes, the Convergent Audio Technology JL series.

John