Why would anyone want class AB amp when class A always sounds better ?

some Class AB amps sound better

I say it again.
If they can take it without strain on anything, those same A/B amps will sound even better again if their Class-A bias was turned up full, as you eliminate any xover distortion, as it never goes into Class-B which gives xover distortion no matter how well designed

Cheers George

Why would anyone prefer anything besides Audio Research monoblock tube amps, when they are so awesome?  For only $70,000, plus a 5 ton A/C unit to cool it, you could begin building a truly great system.  All you need, besides the above, is a $10,000-20,000 preamp, a stupidly expensive source or three, and a room to put it in.  Then, you could chase away all of your friends by showing them the intracacies of minute passages of music that really show it off.  I prefer the Class A Audire Monarch towers, and a Diffet 5,  but settle for a trio of Audire Fortes (Plus two Audire Diffet 3 preamps), and really love my music, even when listening to Jazz 67 on XM, despite its inferior sound.  Why would anyone prefer a beautiful Ferrari to a Bugatti, when the latter is faster?  Why would anyone prefer a wife of fifty years, when a Russian model is cuter?

Were not talking about saving the planet, we’ve already ****** that up. And covid will be judge and jury on us for for doing that.

We’re talking about the best sound here, please get your priorities right!

Cheers George

Why would anyone prefer a wife of fifty years, when a Russian model is cuter?


I can answer that one.

I think this will be a fair comparison:

Same system other than the amp. (Speakers are Sonus Faber Seraphino).

I have had a Pass Labs X-250.8 (class AB) for the last year or so.

A couple of moths ago I could try at home a pair of Pass labs XA-60.8 monoblocks. Same manufacturer and not very different price.

I thought that if the X250.8 delivers it’s first 16 watts in class A and it never leaves class A, then I was good to go, Pass class A all the time.

BUT BIAS (current, ampers) of class A in the XA-60.8 are 3 times higher than in X-250.8

Does it matter? Well, I sold my 250 and I couldn’t be happier now with the XA-60.8s

Better timbre, overtones, layers, soundstage …

Same brand, not very different price and for me it makes a hell of a difference.

I’m not trying to argue, just contribute to the community with my recent experience.