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Amplifier specs, does they matter?

For solid state designs, the manufacturers boast about their signal to noise ratios, total harmonic distortions, slew rates, frequency responses, and many others. Meanwhile, the makers of the tube amps praise the liquidity and musicality of their designs. Obviously, amplifiers with tubes don't measure nearly as well as solid state amps. So, do any of these specifications really matter?
psag

Showing 1 response by swampwalker

swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
I really like Onhighway61s response, particularly
The information won't tell you how the amp will sound, but it will tell if it can operate properly in your system.
IOW, use certain specs to rule out an amp in the context of your speakers and pre-amp, but from there, their usefulness is questionable for a variety or reasons.

I also endorse the use of weight when comparing otherwise similar amps because of what it tells you about output xformers and power supply. Of course, its non-scientific and is not applicable to OTLs ;-)
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