How important is S/N Ratio....?

Alexander....join the party....this seems to be not such a hot topic.....but let me put this in terms of my real experience..

After years of spending thousands on cables and other tweaks....to improve the noise floor....and it did remove grunge....I started replacing capacitors in my componets.

The preamp was first....major difference....then the coupling caps in my dac....again increased clarity,transparency....I was on to something here because these 2 caps were low noise and frankly the change was indeed stunning...Next was the amplifier...

Recapping and changing the 2 power supply caps was so much better...not incramentel but I would say a quantum leap...now people talk about live....well in theory a microphone should pick up everything within it's range. Sound,reverb,decay,air movement and changes in pressure,ect. Well in the best digital recordings for once I feel like I am hearing everything that a mike can pick up.

Now just changing capacitors...why that much difference..The tech sheet says reduces distortion by a 1000 pct and has a noise level of -135 db down or more....these are super low noise....and they are because I can hear it.

I won't go into the what equipment or circuits....you may or may not get this kinda of sound quality.....I just got lucky and upgraded some equipment that I had for years.

But the most improvement I heard was in the amplifier....in every aspect....you name it....everything.

Like I said I dont know if THD is the cart or the noise is the horse.....but the capacitors are "super low noise".

Now we are talking. If you talk high quality components then yes there is a difference. This is much easier to appreciate than "specifications" in a brochure.

Eliminating transformers from the signal path (often non linear). Installing better quality capacitors - absolutely important if poor quality ones were used. (also bear in mind that some types of capacitors age and can dry out - so in this case it can make a HUGE/NIGHT AND DAY difference on a piece of gear that is ten+ years old) High quality AIR core inductors - absolutely. Resistors are usually less of a problem but wirewounds are recommended in high power applications.

Also just as a general rule - eliminating capacitors/resistors/inductors from high power paths (such as in crossovers) also helps a lot.

I have no problem agreeing with that - 100%

"I maintain that above a damping factor of 50 then you gain next to nothing. In fact, extremely high damping factors may be indicative of very high amounts of feedback and just like an amplifier with a specification from 10 Hz to 400 Khz I am wary of these kind of amps"

Shadorne - I agree 100%.

Sane designer would try to design an amp with not more than few percent THD before feedback and then improve it using feedback to only about 0.1%. Finaly he would limit bandwith to what amplifier had before feedback was applied to prevent TIM. 100kHz bandwith as a result might be nice to prevent phase shifts but 400kHz is unnecessary and might be harmful.

Damping Factor is often limited to about 100 by the choke in series with the woofer. Also DF measured in static condition doesn't mean much. Transient response of power supply (due to usage of good capacitors like slit foil etc) might be more important.

As for "More Power" I would suggest "Less Power". On average 200W amp doesn't sound as good as 100W amp that cost the same and is only slightly louder (it needs 10x power for 2x loudness).

It's pretty easy to agree....on this once I clarify...now we can get our hands around this...

I must say just recapping wasn't actually my point....It was the quantum leap when using these ultra low noise devices...

135db and I can hear it!!!!!
Human hearing dynamic range is somewhat lower than that...
A sound at 135db would burst your ear drums or render you incapable of appreciating hi-fi.
Therefore, a sound '135db' down is either....So far below hearing limits as to be nearly, if not completely unmeasureable OR referenced to a sound so loud that it would Hospitalize you.
I am not even going to go to the 'Weakest Link' end of town where who cares if your caps are 135db, when your output devices and the REST of the circuitry are no better than 100db?
I repeat:: Specs are nearly meaningless. If you purchase something based on specs rather than quality, you may be surprised. It could go either way!