I am no engineer, so I leave that to the designer of the product, whether it be amps or speakers. I see all these posts about replacing caps, replacing this replacing that...I don't get it really. Something made you buy that amp or that pair of speakers. What made you buy it was the sound signature. That sound signiture, as you said, was built in by the the engineer of the product. That person most likely has a better trained ear than my 52 year old ears....I buy things because i think they sound good...and then I leave it alone. If I prefer a different sound, I sell it.
The Frankensteining of Amplifiers
There is an Anthem Statement P2 on Audiogon right now. A really great amp that has garnered good reviews. This particular amp has had many parts replaced in an attempt to upgrade it: resistors caps, wiring etc. I assume that when an amp is initially designed and tested by ear the parts are purposefully chosen to reach a certain sound. Can we assume that replacing parts willy nilly will necessarily improve the sound? May it throw off a purposeful delicate balance of parts in an original design and create something much less than the original? Anyone have any experience with this?