chesebert
18 Years An Extra-Hardcore Head-Fi'er
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Do solid state amplifiers sound the same ?
- Thread starter BS5711
- Start date
Even tube amps sound the same after being off for 10 months assuming you start listening when tubes have reached equilibrium state (e.g. 30 minutes usually after powering on) before and after 10 months
jonathan c
Headphoneus Supremus
..... assuming that one's hearing has not deteriorated in the 10 months ..... (aging, lifestyle .....
)And assuming all factors that compound to influence/create ones perception remain unchanged for 10 months.
And assuming you can remember what something sounded like 10 months earlier to be able to compare.
Seems it is a quiet day in the science forums
And assuming you can remember what something sounded like 10 months earlier to be able to compare.
Seems it is a quiet day in the science forums
Conan1974
1000+ Head-Fier
Maybe the questions should be - should the solid state amps sound the same.
Like someone wrote above, the amp should just amplifire the signal.
So the answer maybe should be, yes, they should sound the same.
Like someone wrote above, the amp should just amplifire the signal.
So the answer maybe should be, yes, they should sound the same.
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Death_Block
Headphoneus Supremus
Yes they should sound the same. In principle. But I frankly like the fact that you individuals have the ability to form their own opinions. And that’s what is said to make us human right? Just relish in what you enjoy no matter the ‘this way or that’
I would personally prefer that more people took the effort to do reasonable listening comparisons to try and remove bias as much as possible from their assessment.
I am utterly convinced that Head Fi largely revolves around folks that provide what they believe to be pretty solid objective assessments based only on subjective experiences when those experiences are hugely affected by bias that they seem to be oblivious to.
Since I started this thread a year ago I have done a number of blind volume matched comparisons with amplifiers and the difference between blind volume matched comparison and casual sighted comparison at similar volume is utterly profound.
I am convinced if more people paid attention to bias and did decent listening comparisons they would have very different opinions about the degree of differences between equipment.
I am utterly convinced that Head Fi largely revolves around folks that provide what they believe to be pretty solid objective assessments based only on subjective experiences when those experiences are hugely affected by bias that they seem to be oblivious to.
Since I started this thread a year ago I have done a number of blind volume matched comparisons with amplifiers and the difference between blind volume matched comparison and casual sighted comparison at similar volume is utterly profound.
I am convinced if more people paid attention to bias and did decent listening comparisons they would have very different opinions about the degree of differences between equipment.
bigshot
Headphoneus Supremus
If there’s no scientific or technical reason for something to be true, and there’s no controlled test offered for backup, the burden of proof is on the person making the claim.
There are technical reasons (like High Output impedance in combination with an low ohm receiver or volume control that changes frequency response). I had an TA-ZH1ES that was simply not flat at listening volume, for from that. It hat strongly rolled-off bass. And with an 9Ω IEM, pretty much everything that has not <=1 Ω output impedance also does not "Sound flat".
So i can think of technical reasons why some amps do not sound flat. I heard that some people use Speaker Amps to listen to Headphones because they sound "Fat ang big and large". I looked one of them up, 47 Ω output impedance, holy moly. Even an 130 Ω Headphone no longer sounds flat with that.
Maybe i should build my own amp "Mr. Warmmaker". I just put 50 Ω on the output Impedance on it and also include a Switch "High Ohm Receiver" which just add another 100 Ω on Top (Because 50 Ω isn't enough for something like the 470 Ω R70xa). I then sell it for 6000$, pretty sure someone will buy it
Right. Unfortunately though, what also seems to make us human is that those opinions are frequently wrong, that’s one of the reasons, if not the main reason, why modern science was invented in the first place.
The obvious problem with that approach is that it’s very likely the judgement of “what you enjoy” will be biased by marketing, either direct marketing, indirect marketing from incentivised reviews or from shills and others also biased by it. The issue then becomes; when will a product with the right marketing to affect your biases (and therefore “what you enjoy”) come along again? This is what “upgraditis” is and why it exists, audiophiles buying one audibly transparent amp and then “upgrading” it for another audibly transparent amp, with therefore no audible difference between them, just BS marketing that has affected their “own opinions” (until the next time)!
G
sander99
Headphoneus Supremus
That is very unusual for a speaker amp. Most (consumer home audio) speakers have impedances in the 4 to 8 Ohm range, and AFAIK the amplifiers output impedance plus the cable impedance summed together should be 10x below that, or lower.
It was unusual expensive too.
You can't sell something for 6000+ Bucks that sounds the same as an 200$ Amp. It has to sound different, otherwise people will return it. It doesn't matter if its objectively better, it needs to be different for the sake of being different.
Maybe they meant using the headphone jack on the speaker amp? They often have a >100 Ohm output impedance, for good reason.
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