Power Uber Alles ?

Hey @islandmandan :

Thanks for your kind words, but I am honestly not testing anyone!

Often what happens is that another thread will tickle my thoughts on a subject, and I get genuinely curious about my fellow A'goner's personal experiences.

Like take this one. I have a preference, and even though I could the math here and there, that doesn't mean it correlates with user experience.
More than anything, I like to come to A'gon to figure out how my fellow audiophiles experience music, and the gear that plays it, and in the realm of personal experience, this is irrefutable, even when it goes against my own prejudices, and that's where I am forced to learn new things.

I hope I also offer a modest service by asking questions in ways that can be answered productively, even when we disagree. I try to come to a shared understanding of personal tastes vs. technical attribution. Like say, distortion. We can measure it, but the question of what we'll buy or like listening to is not a number, and to me this distance, between TIM or THD and value and personal pleasure is super interesting to me.

Best,
E

I'll give another example.  I like certain capacitors more than others. Very personal. However there used to be this kind of belief that equivalent series resistance (ESR) or dissipation factor were the causes.

Turns out, that did not really work out. Whatever it is I like about caps, it's not in those two numbers. I think a lot of capacitor rollers and manufacturers have found the same to be true. The audible quality is not in those two figures.

I like what I like, and I don't have a reason for it. :) I fully respect that, but maybe someday this will change.

WOW ill have to think about this very important  question ill get back to you asap.

Elizabeth, so you place Class A Uber Alles? I'm not trolling you, I'm genuinely curious.

In your mind, class A trumps power? (assuming power was adequate).

Best,
E