Short List of Amps I prefer over the Pass Labs XA25 or INT 25

I don’t really know or care much for specs. Voicing of any component is, to me, most important. For a designer to be a musician is not necessarily prerequisite but it helps. Vital is that the designer not only needs to understand what music sounds like but is able to voice their “instruments” reflecting that knowledge. Then, ultimately, an amp/speaker combination needs to reflect the taste of the listener. Obviously, an amp can only be evaluated when powering a speaker-the “two hands clapping” in any system.

It is then an interdisciplinary thing, very desirable but perhaps it rarely happens an engineer to be a musician, but it will help if he is an audio fan.  

Eric, i thought feedback was something to create the gain. I am too far from this field, but will try to have a look on some books (e.g. why the feedback is unavoidable). 

Could something similar to  switching waveform be used to create a correct and accurate digital signal from the source analog signal and "amply it digitally" without any distortion? Is there no way to amplify a digital signal directly from the digital sources (e.g., CD player), what this would really mean? Then you will again need a DAC just to output the amplified digital signal to the speakers (but i understand that "amplified digital signal" cannot exist, a binary number cannot be amplified and that  that the conventional amplification is analog).  

I was not aware of Technics class D players which is interesting. Cherry amps are produced by a US company called Digital Amplifier Company (DAC), there should be some reason for this name.  

@riaa. no padded cell here. rogue products are highly rated by stereophile currently class A and anything but garbage. my tube pre amp and tube power amp has that elusive combination of dynamics, high output, huge soundstage, transparency and world class refinement at an affordable price.
they are currently unable to keep up with demand and are building a new production facility.  

Thank you all for delving into the femto distortion/feedback/ gain/switching wave forms/harmonic orders.
I fear all this self-oscillation is causing me harmonic disorder.

Whether we do or do not go rogue doesn’t matter. I prefer commando.

As for static Pass labs displays at Axpona last April, I would like to propose
a suggestion for any company who brings equipment across
the country to allow visual examination only. Save some money and
tape up some fancy photos as that does not frustrate me as much.

There must have been a couple rooms using Pass gear at Axpona
but I can not recall a year back that well.

Let’s all book flights to Schaumburg in August now while ticket prices
are still low. I did!!!