It was a sign of the times that Curl et all went to Parasound about 20 years ago and abondonded Blowtorch preamp and the Bar B Q amp which were very high end components. I participated with Curl and Crump (TG Audio) the last year they exhibited the BAR B Q with the Blowtorch. The following year 2001 the JC-1 (scaled down Bar B Q) debuted with Blowtorch and Entec Number Cruncher DAC. I isolated the Blowtorch, Entec and four (count em!) JC-1s that year with a one of a kind double decker Nimbus and four Promethean isolation bases.
How far have ss amps really come in the last twenty years?
I have owned and enjoyed my Jeff Rowland model 8 ( recently modded and upgraded by Jeff to the last version) for many years. I recently had the opportunity of comparing it ( after mods) to a few of the current ss models from Gamut, D'Agostino, YBA, Parasound, Sim audio, CH precision, Constellation,PS audio,Pass Labs and Musical Fidelity. The results were very interesting, because to my ears and in the systems that we did the comparison, the Rowland held its own against all but the most expensive D'Ag and CH amps. Even those were only very slightly outclassing the Rowland in the areas of top end resolution...and a tad in the bottom end resolution. Now the thing is that the last revision to the Rowland 8 was designed by Jeff over ten years ago!
So, my question for those more technically inclined than myself is...how far has the design of ss amps come in the last ten...or even twenty years?
So, my question for those more technically inclined than myself is...how far has the design of ss amps come in the last ten...or even twenty years?
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I suspect that just like loudspeakers, when the amplifier designer engineers an
amplifier to fit to a certain price point, he is also targeting an
amplifier sound that he thinks best presents music as realistically as
possible. In other words, its not all about perfect square waves, SNR and THD. Therefore, its reasonable to expect that different designers have different ideas of what sounds right...hence amplifier will sound different. As Blindjim said....just try a few amps and it doesn't take long to see that either the amps themselves sound different....or the way they interact with the rest of the equipment results in a different sound. Right now, I'm "trying out" a new amplifier called the 2Cherry from Digital Amplifier Company. Its class d, no modules, all in house designed circuitry using discrete components...and boy does it sound good...open, three dimensional, detailed, liquid...I could go on....for less than $3k....so I think there may well be room for continued amplifier development. And in a way, I agree with Atmasphere...most of us say that we want as little distortion as possible...but I think we really want is what sounds the most like trumpets, pianos, guitars and voices that we have heard live...and maybe sometimes, to some listeners, a euphonic presentation is more pleasing. |
Alan Shaw would say there is very little new in amplifiers. Indeed, amplification technology is widely used and optimized for many purposes, not just audio, and is more or less a "solved" problem. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure, this thread will show you some of his thinking. https://www.harbeth.co.uk/usergroup/forum/subjective-soundings-your-views-on-audio/electronics-sources-stands-cables-accessories/amplifier-discussion/2390-the-last-words-on-audio-amplifiers-jan-2015 And if you disagree, and can prove an audible difference under his conditions (gain matching), he's offering a pair of his top-of-the-line speakers (see the first few posts). |
And if you disagree, and can prove an audible difference under his conditions (gain matching), he's offering a pair of his top-of-the-line speakers (see the first few posts).That sounds nice. Might run short on speakers after a while... Like shooting fish in a barrel. Do you have to fly to England to do the shootout? |
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