Class "A" sound, as related to Stereophile.



It's all about the sound.

It's all about sound, not how much it cost; when I got into "high end", I knew right off the bat I couldn't afford it, but I had to find one thing for sure; how do the various components sound in regard to Stereophile's classes, or ratings? In order to know this; I had to acquire the ability to identify "Stereophile's" class "A" class "B" and class "C" sounds, and the only way to do that was: first, subscribe to Stereophile, and next was to go to every high end audio salon within driving distance; there were 5 well stocked "high end" salons within driving distance. (Since I didn't take my wife, that created some problems)

After a few years of subscribing to Stereophile, plus auditioning equipment that Stereophile recommended, I knew the sound of those recommendations, and I absolutely concurred with them; "If you want to hear the music, you got to pay the piper". While that's true, it's possible to get class "A" sound with class "B" bucks or less.

At this moment, I am looking at 8 capacitors that cost $25 dollars each, plus 2 mono blocks with an instant resale value of 6K. Once I take the covers off and go in with my soldering iron, these mono blocks are worth a resell of O; my mission must be a success. After a successful mission, the resell is still 0; but those mono blocks will deliver class "A" or "A"+ sound, and that's some sweet music.

I have to visualize and hear music in my head before I can modify a component to deliver class "A" sound; but that's the only way for me to get what has become a necessity.

The pressure someone is under when they modify, is great, but the rewards are glorious. On these mono blocks, they are too small for the huge capacitors, therefore I have to figure a way to make the case larger. My reward is "sound" with absolutely no relation to money. I often wander if someone with a fat bankroll can identify the sound, or only how much they paid for each piece.


Happy listening.

orpheus10
Is there a list of qualities that outlines for a listener / review reader how to somehow identify in real world terms, the critical differences between a "class A" and "class B" speaker? All variables aside?

Many years ago I heard a pair of very expensive speakers in an audio salon in NoCal, which were so dynamic and detailed that they proved to be oppressive. I literally got seasick and dizzy listening to them. Came close to puking, actually.

I’ve been starting to think that with audio, once you’ve attainted a certain level of gear, music, and listening sophistication, "less is more." Unless, perhaps, you’re into Metal or other headbanger music. Or simply a masochist.
Just a little to add about custom speakers. I DO recommend them from reputable makers. There are a lot of very nice speaker systems made of unbelievably good drivers.  You can get as involved as you'd like. If you are like me,  you'll design every bit and let the cabinet maker deal with the sawdust. :)

I really wish every audiophile would make at least 1 pair of speakers in their lifetime, it would totally change their outlook and demystify a lot of it, but that won't happen so speaker makers and esoteric accessory makers will continue to charge exorbitant amounts. 

In any event, if you are interested, here's my blog post to help you get into it as much as you'd like.

https://speakermakersjourney.blogspot.com/2016/05/custom-speaker-making.html

Best,

Erik
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I also want to make one comment about Stereophile. I like their electronic reviews much more than their speakers. They have some really variable quality reviews and biases that often make me shake my head.

At least John Atkinson has stopped taking pictures of hotel carpets and curtains when he goes to trade shows, so maybe there is hope.