Regarding amp testing: the manufacturer knows good and well how their amp works into a 2 ohm load. In the days of brick and mortar dealers, the dealer would know or could easily find out. John Atkinson's Stereophile and other technical lab tests are very
instructive. Look at the curves for performance deterioration at 4 ohms
vs 8 ohms. If that deterioration is great, the amp is generally not
specified to 2 ohms. Read between the lines, that amp would possibly fall apart
at 2 ohms.
Often you can read for meaning for phrases such as "stable into instantaneous (or peak) 2-ohm load. Which means it cannot sustain continuous 2 ohm output and therefore not suitable for Thiel. In today's world you might put out a call on amp forums for a full lab test of an amp of interest. Or if you can get to an old-fashioned bench repair shop, they could power test an amp under load and read the waveforms on their oscilloscope for you to see, even if not to print and distribute. Jim's first job was as such a technician, repairing everything from amps to radios to TVs and sophisticated specialty circuitry. (Our first business plan was to produce amps, not speakers, but didn't see a promising niche. That was before the days of amp proliferation. Jim had equipment and knowledge and we vetted amps in-house to choose those that performed properly, not just ones we liked, which is a trap because your speaker may turn out far from neutral and therefore less universal.
Regarding McCormack: Steve's values, knowledge and perspective are right-on and I would expect his equipment to perform well for all the right reasons. However, I have no direct experience beyond hearing at shows, which was always good.
Regarding the neurology of psychoacoustics and so forth. Yes, there is lots of serious information, but it is pretty obscure. My PhD studies included epistomology (how we know), ontology (the nature of being) and the neurology of creativity. I was also a practicing musician and acutely interested in musical communication. So I studied and absorbed this stuff. No I didn't finish the PhD; I jumped the academic ship to establish my own design studio where I made musical instruments, studio furniture and other artifacts. Conceptions Studio incubated and then became Thiel Audio. If you come across model O1s or O2s, the back panel will say Thiel - manufactured by Conceptions Electronics. Of course all these inquiries into how we hear, learn and know served as the foundation of Thiel Audio.
But there is nowhere I can send you except to suggest Google. Happy reading.
