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Do all solid state amps sound the same?

SoCal Sam said:
If we extend this logic, a Soundesign will sound as good as a Krell or a Threshold.
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It just might, depending on the context of the test/listening session. :scratch2:

For the record, I do not own any of those to make my own comparison. However, I do have some Audio Research and Levinson stuff around, but still no Soundesign. ;)
 
SoCal Sam said:
Your impressions are based on experience, which I respect. However, after owning and comparing numerous amps and receivers on a very small subset of speakers, I can tell you there are differences in amp sound. I agree that speaker changes can make a dramatic change. For example going from a blaring horn to a cloth dome setup is soothing to my ears. That being said, to imply that ss amps make little difference is simply not correct. If we extend this logic, a Soundesign will sound as good as a Krell or a Threshold.
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I've run different SS amps in my main system and have also run the same amps in a secondary system or two first to get an idea of whether I want to pull the main rig apart to set them up (pain in the drain). What I've heard is the same basic difference between amps regardless of which speakers/listening space they were in. They sounded different according to the speaker they were running (obviously), but the basic characteristics carried across to the new system, if in somewhat varying degrees. As far as I'm concerned every amp having a different design will put across the music in a slightly individual way, whether tube or SS. Some will communicate the music to you better than others, what it's all about in the end, no? Once in awhile if you're lucky you get something that just seems to do that bit of extra magic for you and the music draws you right in.
 
bowtie427ss said:
Yes, there can be a lot of "reactivity" in dividing networks. But IMO&E, even the most refined speaker driver is still a somewhat reactive load by itself. Certainly different amplifiers respond differently to different loads, IMO the best ones limit the variation of their response to a very small degree between speakers of different reactivity.
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Guys get bent when even the hint of an absolute is mentioned these days.

I should add a sig on every post that says "I think difference accur to some degree on every single piece of gear and in every componant interaction. But my posts should only ever be seen in the context of if or if not those differences can be heard".

Crips

bowtie427ss said:
I made a couple editorial changes(in bold) so that i can say that i'm in 100% agreement with you. With all due respect, i otherwise could not.:D
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Please write your own post that agrees or disagree's. But editing mine for the sake of your tolerance level or opinion is rediculous at the very least.

marc mc
 
I think the purest form of this statement is, "Blanket statements are never right." :D

FWIW, I have also heard differences between solid-state amps in sighted comparisons, though the differences are more subtle than the differences between speaker models. There are certainly enough variables in power amp design to explain why audible differences could occur, including gain flatness over the audible frequency range; susceptibility to reactive loading; slew rate and slew symmetry on positive-going vs. negative-going signal transitions; distortion levels and spectra; and variations in power supply output impedance vs. frequency, just to name a few. Back when I was running a Dynaco Stereo 416 as my big system amp, I could hear a subtle improvement in sound quality when I used the C-100 add-on capacitor bank vs. running the amp without it, and I didn't need to turn the system way up to reveal that difference. It was audible at average levels below a watt.
 
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All amps sound the same just like all cars drive the same...

No difference between these two at all.

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1982%20Lamborghini%20Countach%20navy%20fsv=KRM.jpg


None what-so-ever.

Scott
 
SoCal Sam said:
To complicate this topic even more, two examples of the same make and model can sound different. I've experienced this on more than one occasion.
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Not impossible IMHO, for example if the components used are, oh say 5% resistors, +80/-20% caps (and some ceramics are) you can get some interesting differences between copies of the smae model.

Regarding the other question of not having heard every amplifier, in my unique position as a vinatge restorer I have heard quite a broad spectrum of the genre. Given that my bench is the constant, or in cases where I have set them up in one particular system, everything except the unit itself is constant.
 
Dr Tinear said:
I think the purest form of this statement is, "Blanket statements are never right." :D
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Oh I actually think that blanket statements are the things that determines truth.

When I drop something it hits the floor. Everytime.


BTW I never said that people can't hear differences. In passive set ups I have heard them. What I said is in 4 years of running several active sets and using 20 amps I can't say that I could notice a single bit of difference in those amps. It was not something I would have thought or even believed had someone else told me. (I was clearly in the amps sound different camp for 20 years). But in all the active set ups I have run and am running ANY difference at all is absolutely undetectable to me.

marc mc
 
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whoaru99 said:
It just might, depending on the context of the test/listening session. :scratch2:

For the record, I do not own any of those to make my own comparison. However, I do have some Audio Research and Levinson stuff around, but still no Soundesign. ;)
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No Soundesign here, LOL!

I've met several audio tuners who claim that any amp can be made to sound great simply through room tuning. This is also in line with a book written by Jim Smith, the title of which escapes me right now. While I do not underestimate the importance of room tuning, the premise that all amps can be made to sound good and the underlying implication that all are good is at odds with my experience. You can cover up amplifier defects through clever tuning or through compensation but you will NEVER get rid of them.
 
marc mc said:
Oh I actually think that blanket statements are the things that determines truth.

When I drop something it hits the floor. Everytime.


I will just use this one example but I could sit here and write similar ones for the rest of my life. Many with similar levels of importance. But safe to say I build my views around absolutes as apposed to "well.... you never know"


marc mc
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"Let you ears decide" is one of those blanket statements that has no value to me.
 
Urizen said:
I too like to listen with my ears rather than my wallet. :)
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My ears have saved me about $5000 in speakers, but came back and bit me when it came to amplification. Suffice it to say that they don't believe all amps sound the same.
 
JohnVF said:
My ears have saved me about $5000 in speakers, but came back and bit me when it came to amplification. Suffice it to say that they don't believe all amps sound the same.
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Were your ears blindfolded? ;)
 
JohnVF said:
And means everything to me. The only thing I do with my stereo is listen to it.
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To me as well but when folks in online forums ask about a piece, the "let your ears decide" statement carries no value. Many of us have plenty experience that could be helpful.
 
JohnVF said:
My ears have saved me about $5000 in speakers, but came back and bit me when it came to amplification. Suffice it to say that they don't believe all amps sound the same.
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I've heard $15k Dali's that sounded like they were soaked in wet rags.
 
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