Power Amplifier - Maximum Resolution & Detail!

@deep_333   That is true. A factory has all sorts of QC in place, which only makes sense if you are making a bunch of them. For a short run, it's easier just to troubleshoot individual units.

But chassis volume is at a premium, and hand-work, like wiring a discrete volume control, is pretty much out of the question for a factory. Since the best components, especially caps, tend to be bigger, there is often no way to shoe-horn the best components into place.

So DIY can involve new chassis, and with that, new capabilities and controls which only you care about. It's very much a custom solution - but I thought that if President Carter can make his own furniture, I would try my hand at my own audio.

I tend to think of detail presentation as being more in the domain of the preamp. But yes I'm sure the amp also has a lot to say about it.

@jji666 

Streamer/software/ddc whatever -'> conducive transport for detail creation

dac ---> detail 'creation'

dac output stage, preamp --'> hopefully, it is preserved

cables --> hopefully, it is preserved

power amp --> higher probability of a possible bottleneck/choke point pethaps for letting it through, imo

i have some ways of dealing with stuff upstream of the poweramp, not that worried about the same.

The use case is not just for hifi listening. There is a 'hifi' speaker I've been recently using as a monitor as well, recording some things, etc...Hence,...a quest to  mitigate any power amp bottleneck, w.r.t the above mentioned (could be in vain...could be not).

But, there have been some interesting suggestions thus far.

Musical Fidelity A1.  Class A solid state.  35wpc claimed.  I have the 2008 version; it is an integrated but I will often use it in HT mode to bypass as much of the integrated preamp circuitry as possible.

Having said that, I run it with any of 5 different sets of speakers, the best for detail being my Reference3A DeCapo I speakers.

Synergy is an important factor in speaker/amp combinations of course.

Runs too hot for the summers here in Sin City though.  I tried placing wet rags on the top of the chassis which is also the heat sink, but it was too much trouble to keep the cloth sufficiently damp without dripping water into the electronics  :)

Sublime sound though!

Runs too hot for the summers here in Sin City though. I tried placing wet rags on the top of the chassis which is also the heat sink, but it was too much trouble to keep the cloth sufficiently damp without dripping water into the electronics :)

@ltmandella , Wet rags?!?! 

Set this on top of the amp.... This type of cooler has prolonged the lifespan of many an amp IN A SAFE MANNER.

AC Infinity Aircom T10 Amp Cooler

@deep_333 

yeah, wet rags.  it worked, but like I said too much hassle and risk.

I do have fans although not as sophisticated as that amp cooler. Anyway I decided that in the summers here I will only run Class D, they have gotten quite good. 

In the winter I dust off my A1 and Transcendent T8-LN OTL and switch back and forth between them.

But  I don't mind experimenting in the summer with the more efficient electronics. It is interesting and it is a good thing for the planet if we can figure it out.

Plus I very likely will be moving to a South Pacific island in the next year or two so I might as well find some hi-fi components that I like that will be practical in such an environment.