Zanon,
No, I meant what I said. Which wasn't that a 3db - 6db difference in channel balance doesn't matter to me, or you or many other people here but that there are plenty of folks in the non-audiophile music-focused crowd that either don't notice it or don't care enough to change what's causing it even if they drop two Large on a pair of speakers. Their comparative indifference to one quality that matters to us may not compromise their enjoyment of music from their hi-fi whatsoever.
As for flea-power SET amps, that's the whole point. 2 - 3 watts aren't convincing to me and I suppose not for you, but for someone who values specific attributes of a 45 or 2a3 SET amp enough to listen within the dynamic limits of a third clean watt on a 101db/w/m speaker, the midrange won't be congested. It just gets congested quickly if said listener pushes even a skosh beyond that. So someone like me doesn't have to recommend flea power to appreciate why some folks are satisfied by a narrow performance attribute. After all, Quad ESL57s don't have much dynamic range, nor power handling worth mentioning, plus they beam like lasers, yet they still have a fanatical following after more than 50 years.
I have no defense however to offer for the sound quality of Class-D, thus far in its evolution. Except that it gets some people out of earbuds and into speakers, which is a first step for bringing fresh blood into our interest. Does a cheap Tri-Path sound any worse than, say, a grating Dynaco SCA-80Q did circa 1970? No. It sounds better and it's vastly cheaper and more accessible too in real dollars. Give the kids and anyone else with thin finances a break. If we get them in in the tent, we have plenty of time to show them old school.
Phil
No, I meant what I said. Which wasn't that a 3db - 6db difference in channel balance doesn't matter to me, or you or many other people here but that there are plenty of folks in the non-audiophile music-focused crowd that either don't notice it or don't care enough to change what's causing it even if they drop two Large on a pair of speakers. Their comparative indifference to one quality that matters to us may not compromise their enjoyment of music from their hi-fi whatsoever.
As for flea-power SET amps, that's the whole point. 2 - 3 watts aren't convincing to me and I suppose not for you, but for someone who values specific attributes of a 45 or 2a3 SET amp enough to listen within the dynamic limits of a third clean watt on a 101db/w/m speaker, the midrange won't be congested. It just gets congested quickly if said listener pushes even a skosh beyond that. So someone like me doesn't have to recommend flea power to appreciate why some folks are satisfied by a narrow performance attribute. After all, Quad ESL57s don't have much dynamic range, nor power handling worth mentioning, plus they beam like lasers, yet they still have a fanatical following after more than 50 years.
I have no defense however to offer for the sound quality of Class-D, thus far in its evolution. Except that it gets some people out of earbuds and into speakers, which is a first step for bringing fresh blood into our interest. Does a cheap Tri-Path sound any worse than, say, a grating Dynaco SCA-80Q did circa 1970? No. It sounds better and it's vastly cheaper and more accessible too in real dollars. Give the kids and anyone else with thin finances a break. If we get them in in the tent, we have plenty of time to show them old school.
Phil