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Amplification: what are the biggest advances of the last 40 years?

As an audiophile most of my adult life but without any engineering expertise, I wonder how amplification has advanced since I started in this hobby as a high school student in the eighties?

Specifically, what has advanced the state of the art and what, specifically, make newer products sound "better" than older ones?

Is it that circuit design has advanced so much?  Or is the bigger difference parts quality and the technology leading to these better parts?

And please, none of the banal "it all matters" comments.  What I'm asking: which of the above matters the most?


bobbydd

Showing 1 response by erik_squires

erik_squires
16,592 posts
 
I don’t think we can argue ANY technology improved or changed as much as Class D has over this period of time. As some one fortunate to hear early Class D prototypes, to owning ICEpower amps, this technology has really come up.

Some Class D amps beat some class A amps and are beaten by some linear amps, kind of like rock-paper-scissors.  To be in the game the way they are, with huge benefits in size and efficiency to me crowns them as the single biggest innovation in this time period. 
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