2. amps-preamps
  3. 1257583523

Is weight really mater?

If both amps are rated at 100wpc, in general, would one weight 100 lbs sounds fuller, more textures and juice, and is a “better” amp than the one weights only at 8 lbs? (Nope, I’m not comparing commercial PAs or Karaoke mixer systems.)
Mark Levinson No. 331 is weighted around 100 lbs while the amazing Jeff Rowland Model 102 is weighted shockingly at 7.4 lbs. Yup, you read right, “seven point four pounds”.
Can I use this factor for my determination?
In real life, bigger men will tend to lift bigger weights than tinny men, but how about electronic amplifications? Shouldn’t they too need bigger toroid transformer, bigger caps, bigger heat sinks, etc? What’s with the 8 lbs?
Please simplify much possible your comments so others (and I) would understand.
Speakers are smalll 6-ohm floorstanding Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home series. Thanks all.
128x128nasaman
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
Like cars, amps correlate by price per pound. I looked at this some years ago and was surprised how close price per pound was, not price by watt. It also work for cars.
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rayooo
70 posts
 
IMO
I am assuming the Rowland Amp is Class D, which means it uses a totally different technology.

While this is a bad analogy, a PC power supply based on the typical big transformer with analog regulators would be much bigger, hotter and heavier than the far more efficient switching supplies used in PCs and many other devices these days.

I myself have the learned condition that power amps should be big, heavy and hot to sound best. But, I feel with modern high quality Class D amps from folks like Rowland, it would be unwise to put to much "weight" in making a determination on sound quality based on the weight of the amplifier.

Having said that, I have no doubt that if I were comparing a modern class D amp with a modern meat-and-potatoes amp, with identical power specifications, I would be prone to discriminate against the little teeny class D amp, even though in reality, it may in fact be superior sounding to the big-hot amp
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