2. amps-preamps
  3. 191081-145729

Power Amplifier - Maximum Resolution & Detail!

I am assuming some of you have experienced the following.... All else being the same in the chain, you replaced a power amplifier and started hearing more resolution and detail, perhaps a lil more in a track that you have heard a thousand times.

Ime, the higher you go up in price doesn't necessarily guarantee that you could experience the above mentioned. It seems to come down to the nitty gritty of the circuits under consideration, i.e., the black art of power delivery and analog circuit design.

What is a power amp you may have experimented with that provided the maximum detail and resolution at any price? (Not just perceived changes in tonal balance, etc).

I am hoping to shortlist a power amp based on some suggestions here for a future purchase.

 

P.S. If you are an ASR type of guy who thinks all power amps sound the same, this may not the right thread for you, I suppose...

deep_333

Showing 2 responses by terry9

terry9
2,354 posts
 

Maximum resolution and detail should NOT impair musicality. When it does, IME, it is because resolution and detail are confused with distortion.

IMO, to maximize resolution and detail without increasing distortion requires components of the highest quality. Naturally, manufacturers don't want to spend big bucks on 50 resistors at $10 each, and air gap capacitors at $100, so they only use these at the most critical points of the topology, if at all. So if you want that quality, be prepared to spend big big bucks or build it yourself.

DIY forever!

terry9
2,354 posts
 

@deep_333   That is true. A factory has all sorts of QC in place, which only makes sense if you are making a bunch of them. For a short run, it's easier just to troubleshoot individual units.

But chassis volume is at a premium, and hand-work, like wiring a discrete volume control, is pretty much out of the question for a factory. Since the best components, especially caps, tend to be bigger, there is often no way to shoe-horn the best components into place.

So DIY can involve new chassis, and with that, new capabilities and controls which only you care about. It's very much a custom solution - but I thought that if President Carter can make his own furniture, I would try my hand at my own audio.

More to discover