2. amps-preamps
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what's going on with specs?

I'm having a hard time buying a power amp. I'm in the 5-10k range and whae I'm finding are things like PS Audio BHK 250. Specs show 250@8ohms and 500@4ohms. Then the Parasound JC5 shows 400@8ohms and 600@4ohms. Looks like PS Audio doubles at 4 ohms which makes me think it's a stronger amp until I notice the PS Audio spec is at 1 kilohertz and the Parasound measures 20 to 20 kilohertz. That is very confusing and I don't understand why PS Audio doesn't give full power measurements. Anyone with knowledge of these two brands or others. I have the Elac Vela 409s to drive. 
dconfalone
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,320 posts
 
Welcome to the world of audio specmanship.

Find some magazine reviews of units you're interested in; certain mags in the U.S. and Europe test the amps and publish results, so you can actually compare apples with apples.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
The First Audiophile Commandment is Know Thyself. What you need to know is, are you an audiophile? Or a measurebator? Audiophiles love the way music sounds. Measurebators love the way numbers look.   

Figure this one out and everything else falls right into place.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,165 posts
 
Paul writes a daily blog / email - ask him. He is BTW an engineer w good ears. He does respond to inquiry.
phcollie's avatar
phcollie
342 posts
 
Pay attention to what many do not publish.
Current & Capacitance?  Sometimes you have to call. Not sure what you mean by strong but if you want resiliance during demanding transients then capacitance is your friend. Also, the actual details of the power supply(VA). Numbers matter, but only a little bit. Watts rarely are the tale of the tape. 
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