Why are most High End Amps class A

Class A amps have finesse, ambience, subtlety, blossom and decay of sound that gives it a more realistic quality. However, they are the most expensive amps per watt, the hottest running, uses the most electricity per watt output, most tempermental, requires the most attention and upkeep of all the amp types. I say that, because most pure class A amps use tubes...until recently. Check out this month's issue of Stereophile Magazine and you will see a review on one of the most recent amp models from Pass Labs. It's a pure class A SOLID STATE amp which got rave reviews. I am referring to the XA- .5 models. It is very hard to have a high powered pure class A amp which is why the high powered ones cost many tens of thousands of dollars. However, the 30 watt stereo amp, and the 60 watt mono amp are each only five thousand dollars. This is very reasonable for the quality of these amps.

I also have a Mark Levinson amp that has that AB class sound. To me the push-pull method has it's advantages such as clarity, efficiency, and low distortion. I've had this amp for ten years and I have enjoyed every minute of it... until now. Reacently I noticed that while the sound has the above advantages, it seems to lack depth and realism. A tuning fork has the same advantages as a class AB amplifier, but would you rather hear a musical piece played with multiple tuning forks, or musical instruments with their own distinct overtones. Class A amps have more distortion than class AB, but perhaps it's that distortion that gives class A amps their flavor, and realism. Anyway, that's my two cents worth.