I bi-amp, with a tube amp powering my planar mids/ribbon tweeters, and a SS amp powering the cone driver woofers. Best of both worlds, I feel.
But I agree with the people above, like Atmasphere - low order harmonic distortion is the way to go.
For instance, 2nd order harmonics are an octave above. Very rarely in tonal music is adding an octave going to destroy the vibe or harmonic tension/relaxation (dissonance/consonance). I mean, when I write orchestral music, I often ADD instruments in octaves above, to add the warmth and dimension to the sonority!
7th order harmonics, on the other hand, are a diminished 7th (plus 2 octaves) above the fundamental. The odds of this frequency aligning with the musical content you are listening to, is very small. You are going to perceive this as hash or congestion or listening fatigue.
Hope this ramble helps. It may be totally wrong. Jim, I'm a violist, not an acoustician!
But I agree with the people above, like Atmasphere - low order harmonic distortion is the way to go.
For instance, 2nd order harmonics are an octave above. Very rarely in tonal music is adding an octave going to destroy the vibe or harmonic tension/relaxation (dissonance/consonance). I mean, when I write orchestral music, I often ADD instruments in octaves above, to add the warmth and dimension to the sonority!
7th order harmonics, on the other hand, are a diminished 7th (plus 2 octaves) above the fundamental. The odds of this frequency aligning with the musical content you are listening to, is very small. You are going to perceive this as hash or congestion or listening fatigue.
Hope this ramble helps. It may be totally wrong. Jim, I'm a violist, not an acoustician!