Do you understand your amplifier?


I see a lot of people talking about the sound of their amplifier. Simply out of curiousity I would love to know how many audiophiles actually understand why their amplifiers sound a specific way. Simply put, how many Audiophiles understand the circuitry of their amplifiers. There is no right or wrong answer. I am just curious.
liguy
Liguy: Very interesting idea for a thread to me. No.... I don't understand the circuitry of my Class AB or Class D amp. According to one member here in paticuclar, it is the misunderstanding of Ice-based Class D amplifier topology that causes some audiophiles to:

1. pair Class D amps with the wrong preamp, sources, cabling etc.
2. and therefore not like the sound of Class D (unnatural)
3. have not heard the true potential of Class D
4. and therefore dismiss Class D as flawed technology

I've stayed the course to this point with my Class D amp.

This is sort of a different subject, but one of the problems I see in high end audio is identifying who the real subject matter experts are versus those who write in the audio forums as an expert would write. Then, there are the manufacturers and designers, some of whom you can't be sure if a "conflict of intereset" skews what they have to say. Many times, you don't know who or what to believe about high end audio. Finally, there appear to be some occasional myths and inaccuracies getting repeated over and over by audiophiles in the forums. (I'm probably guilty of this one)- I'm still learning just like you :) Dealers can have their biases too. So who do you turn to for accurate answers, based on real evidence and experience, who can be trusted to be unbiased, and really know what to tell you about system building across various topologies? Maybe many of us need Audio clubs.... There should be something like a high end audio expert software program where you type in your room dimensions, the gear you have or propose having, the sound qualities you value etc. The software program would generate recommendations on what sources, electronics, cables, speakers etc. you should pair together based on your goals for sound. Nice....
Do you understand your amplifier?

That's why I pay Nelson Pass to understand....lol
here are some terms i have tried to understand the meaning of over the years:
0. when looking at printed circuit boards with hundreds of tiny resistors and
various other devices, how do you design them? with a computer model?
1. global feedback
2. current gain stage
3. voltage gain stage
4. bipolar transistors
5. single-ended transistors
6. input stage
7. impedence- value of SS preamps VS tube and compatability with SS amps
8. power supply vs transformer vs capacitance
9. watts/amps/volts
10-11-12... "additional terms from you"
I have a good understanding of why they are good fits into my systems, and I had a decent idea of what to expect they would sound like prior to hearing, but the 80/20 rule is in effect here. You can't know exactly how anything will sound until you hear it.