Anything as " fast" as SPECTRAL gear?

Bifwynne, yes you got that all right. I think. Damping is overkill at some point. Exactly at what point that is is somewhat debatable and would vary case by case I suspect. There is a correlation between damping and speaker control but not a hard formula. Like most things in this hobby theory and results may not always jive. In general though I believe it beneficial for an amp to have proper control over speaker transducer operation just like it is important that component impedances match beyond a certain range for best results.

The negative feedback argument is a mixed bag as well I think. Some things work well together and others don't. No one aspect of design determines results. Fast slew rates are surely a good thing though.

Ptss 02-05-15
SPECTRAL claims faster today.... Does it make any difference to the music?

Ptss, if I recall correctly you have a DMA-180. I compared the specs on that amp with those of the currently produced DMA-200S S2, DMA-260 S2, and DMA-300. All of the speed-related specs (frequency response/bandwidth, risetime, settling time, and slew rate) on all four amps are identical, except that the DMA-300 has a slew rate of 800 V/us while the others are 600 V/us.

Most of the other specs are also very similar, the most notable differences being that the three newer amps have a much lower input impedance (10K) than the input impedance of your amp (100K), which could be problematical with some preamps, and the three newer amps have rated maximum power capabilities which increase into decreasing load impedances more slowly than in the case of your amp.

The bottom line, IMO.

Regards,
-- Al

Many Krell and Classe amps I have heard over the years sounded
particularly "fast" to me. Don't know their slew rates. I tend to
associate fast sound ie a combo of high slew rate and matching ability of
speaker transducer to respond accordingly with a high capacity for
delivering holographic sound. Low mass transducers like electrostats and
planers seem particularly amenable for that. Dynamic drivers operating in
Walsh wave bending mode also seem good at this to me. Mass and inertia
associated with typical dynamic transducers are the biggest barrier to
achieving fast sound much like it is with a phono stylus transducer.

I don't know a slew rate spec for the bel canto class d amps I use but they
are ice power based and the holography is quite high. Shockingly so when
I heard them the first time compared to amps I owned prior. As class d
amps continue to improve I wonder if their ability in this area in general
continues to go up perhaps even raising the bar beyond other design
approaches?

I've read some diy discussions asserting that slew rate specs are irrelevant
for class d and perhaps some other amp architectures much as are very
high damping factors in most cases. Would not surprise me but I am not an
ee so dunno for sure.

I'll take al's wise advice and not worry about it much and just be happy it all
works and sounds as good as it does.
😄😃😀😋

All I want to know, is how you made those smilies Mapman?

"All I want to know, is how you made those smilies Mapman? "

The emoticon keyboard on my Ipad.

My controller apps for streaming on my gear run on that and other common mobile devices so I tend to spend a fair amount of time with those when listening.