Negative feedback Amp=more faithful reproduction?

Hi Elizabeth, what is a current fad or "catchphrase" is not important to me, but the finding the underlying reason for "catchphrase" or current fad is. If I did't think NFB or ZNFB made a difference in sound, I wouldn't have made this inquiry.

Elizabeth, I have and owned amps that have adjustable NFB, and you can clearly hear a difference between different levels of feedback. IME, the higher feedback setting produced more realistic sound. So your contention feedback has little to do with how a product sounds is in direct contradiction to my experience. Do you have any amps with adjustable feedback? If you do, I would be surprised if you can't hear a difference.

IMHO, NFB and ZNFB are different tools (among many, many others) that an amplifier designer has at his/her disposal to get the best performance (or let's say, for our discussion, the best faithful reproduction) given the amp's design parameters.

Some amps are designed to work better with NFB while other amps are designed to work better with ZNFB. So I don't think anyone can categorically say one method is better than the other for faithful reproduction, whatever that means.

Having said that, I personally prefer amps with the simplest circuit designs because I subjectively believe (rightly or wrongly) that the less capacitors (not power supply caps!), resistors, boards, etc., in the signal path means there is potentially less chance that there is going to be any change to the signal from input and output at the amp. That, to me, means ZNFB. But that also means that the amp design has to be inherently linear so that it doesn't need NFB to begin with.

I tend to prefer Nelson Pass designed amps - from Thresholds, Pass Labs, and First Watt. Almost all are ZFB designs. However, even Nelson Pass uses NFB in some of his amp designs because it works for that particular amp.

So, if you like a particular amp that was designed with NFB or with ZNFB, and it sounds good to you, then listen and enjoy it.

Adjustable NFB is a great way to prove individual preference, not a technical absolute. You used the phrase 'more realistic sound'. To you. We're engaged (yet again) in a thread of trying to prove others to be less knowledgable, savvy and just downright wrong in their audio beliefs compared to the OP. Why? It's great you've seen the light. Is validation that important to you?

Edwyun,

Love your post and reside on your side of the fence. Curious, Have you ever listened to SET amps (hopefully with the proper speaker)? Pass is my favorite brand of ss amps.

fwiw, I don't think there is a correct side of the fence. We have our bias and whatever design gets our attention wins at least for the time being (audiophiles have been known to change their mind).

One of my amps has a variable feedback dial that goes from 0-12 db. I hear the bass firm up when I dial it in but it loses something in the overall sound that I bought the amp in the first place for.