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All Amps Sound the Same....

A guy posted this on another forum:

"This is my other expensive hobby and while I agree with you about low end receivers, once you get to mid-priced (~$600-1000 street price) multichannel receivers you're into pretty good gear...Keep in mind that an amplifier sounds like an amplifier and changing brands should add or subtract nothing to/from the sound and that going up the food chain just adds power output or snob appeal to a separate amplifier...These days most audiophiles either use a good quality multichannel receiver alone or use a mid-priced multichannel receiver to drive their amps even for 2-channel."

Wow, where do they come up with this? Lack of experience?
128x128russ69

Showing 1 response by kbarkamian

kbarkamian
647 posts
 
There's always been the camp that believes all well designed amps sound the same, so long as they're not clipping. My question has always been - define "well designed." What's the cut-off point of well designed vs crap? Is entry level NAD level stuff well designed, or are we talking McIntosh level?

There's also the all cables sound the same crowd. Their's a lot of people who belong to both groups simultaneously.

Lately I've seen a stronger all DACs sound the same crowd over at Pink Fish Media. They contend that DAC chips and stuff like that have surpassed recorded music's limitations.

I'm of the it's absurd to tell someone what they do and don't hear camp. Live and let live. I have nothing to gain from someone telling me what I'm hearing and what I'm supposedly making up in my head.

I'm just waiting for the all speakers sound the same uprising. I can see it now... All well designed speakers sound the same so long as they're not making the amp clip (remember they all sound the same too), the room is properly treated, and it is of appropriate size and shape with the appropriate furniture in it. The only difference is high and low frequency extension.

Just wait, that one's coming soon.
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