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

sound

Class D for sure. I use avant garde class D in both my systems but I confess to tempering both with tube preamps.

Price

My thread “Is there a SS amp that can satisfy a SET guy?”.
Today, the answer is yes… the best of Class D.
And, IME, the question can be expanded to include all tube amps and all non class d SS amps.
And speaking of “the best” class d, I anxiously await the new Atma-Sphere Class D!

Hello,

Nowaday, it is not politically correct to claim that audio amp have improve within the last 40 years...

The designer in the past were not only  technician but also musician or audiophile...all were music lover.and pioner ...Franck mc intosh, Tom collangello/Mark levinson,Nelson Pass,Saul b Marantz, lew johnson et bill conrad....exct..
A circuit have to sound according to their wishes...
  There are improvements in components ,resistors,capacitor and we lost know how in tube technology since production has been given up in general, every specialist agree in this point..

To summerize,numeric technology interface is improving but not analogic amp, D class amplifier is a confortable approach to reduce volume space
In a given power output..

To date, most fameous brand name are " marketing company"and listening amp results have to respect a sound aesthetic focusing more detailled ,definition and brillance vs dynamic ,matters and Pratt ( peace ,rythm and timing)of vintage amp

So it is  just an opinion of " vintage audiophile


Raymond