Why would anyone want class AB amp when class A always sounds better ?

Oh puhleeeze, everyone knows that Qobuz streaming in HR through a  Hybrid-Digital Purifi Eigentakt amp sounds better than a record player through A or AB.  C'mon out of that dark ages cave you analoggers are in...

It's all based on one's perceived reality. 

Now, now George. You are starting to sound as narcissistic and ill tempered as MC. 

ducati1098rr22 posts
Wow the viper is drawn to another thread.

For a 22 post member who stalks, your way too uncool/and technically inept to associate your self with Ducati, better suited to mo-ped.
Stick to what you believe in, in those little black dots https://ibb.co/LpDpf3f

The build quality and engineering skill has everything to do with the end results.
pass labs, class A monos , Coda 16  amp just as a sample just in the U.S  alone.
In Europe Denmark makes several superb class A Amps , as well as classA-AB amps . For power hungry maggis you may need a Big power amp in Class AB 
there are even. Excellent ClassD amps and hybrids that sound good 
and many lower powervacuum  tube amps are in class A up to around 20 wpc and sound very good ,each amp has its own sonic signature.
your speakers have Everything to do with the requirements of your amplifier
and what sound you prefer.

Class A runs very hot and very inefficient , big watts in pure class A is big bucks .
that's why excellent amps ,integrated like Coda give you that option how much bias into class A ,my CSib integrated is close to 20 watts into pure class A , before going to class AB seamlessly to 150-300 wpc If you speakers are fairly efficient 
the amp rarely would ever leave pure class A .

George, I see.

Class A amps (almost) always measure better, not sound better.

Always "unless" the power supply/s can't handle the extra juice need for the higher class-A biasing, then they do sound worse.


Cheers George

Class A amps (almost) always measure better, not sound better.

Audiophiles love some things.
If distortioin is kept low, no audible difference.
Today you can have really good sounding amps in A, AB or D designs.
So preference rules here.

G

Because Class A does not always sound better. Obviously.

They always do, but it has to be the same amp designed to take both settings low Class-A bias and high Class-A bias without being stressed.

EG:
Halo JC1’s always sound better in high class-a bias
Gryphon Antillion always sound better in the highest class-A bias
etc etc etc

The more and more class-A bias the less xover distortion there is and so on the louder you go, on and on till the amp reaches clipping when the amp is in full class-A never switching off either complimentary side of the push pull transistors. Then there's single ended class-A tube and SS but they have to be either capacitor or transformer coupled, not my cup of tea.

Cheers George

erik is a well known nobody here. Get out.

Obviously.

It's just too hard to keep the snark in, right?
Haven't we all had enough of such meanness?

Except all the times it does not.  Hahahahaha

Miller, what's wrong ? Give us an example. I'll give it myself. Gryphon Diablo 300 class AB integrated sounds better than Sugden class A integrated. But it's not a fair comparison, not what I mean, of course.

Well honestly now I don't know what you mean. In the OP you say "Class A always sounds better." But you just gave an example where you yourself say class AB sounds better. So you disproved your whole point. While proving mine: Class A does NOT always sound better. But then you ask me what's wrong? Nothing wrong. I am right again. As per usual. 

Class A amps require devices that can handle more current or more devices in parallel in order to produce the same power. Higher capacity devices or more devices in parallel (or both) add complexity and force the driver stage to work harder. This is not "free" from a performance (sound quality) perspective. So it's not at all clear that a class A amp will sound better than a class A amp, and certainly not for the same build cost. 

D'Agostino amps might be an exception in that they are top level and can compete with almost any SS.

Who the fuzz are you to be here ? Go home.

Yes, mapman, done right they do. 
Gryphon, Accuphase, Pass, Luxman etc.
"Some feel" funny things, that's for sure.

Provactive silly question.
Of course not what you mean.
Who cares whatever that is?

Clas A amps DO NOT always sound better.
They should in theory perhaps but this ain’t theory now is it?

Other than seeing the operational state of A or A/B on  a scope or test equipment, no one can "hear" such conditions.

A  "matter of fact" from the wisdom is needed  to clarify my unqualified babble based on taking 101 electronics decades ago. 

As a direct example, some feel that the Luxman 509X class AB at $9.5k sounds better than the Luxman 590axii class A at $9k. Can’t get much more absolute-busting than that. Same company, both integrateds with same features, essentially same price, both current products.

It's also often that current matters no less than wattage, at least.

Yes, they are sometimes applicable.
Miller, what's wrong ? Give us an example. I'll give it myself. Gryphon Diablo 300 class AB integrated sounds better than Sugden class A integrated. But it's not a fair comparison, not what I mean, of course.

class A always sounds better 

Who says?  Absolutes are rarely applicable in this hobby IMHO. 

Why would anyone want class AB amp when class A always sounds better ?

Because Class A does not always sound better. Obviously.

All of the above X 2

Respect