[bigshot]

If PM-1s qualify, mine came with a short cheap wire for portable use and a cloth covered fancy one for home. They both sound the same. Hard to do an A/B with headphones because there is a time lag as you swap cans. That is probably the reason people report differences. Auditory memory and expectation bias at work.

 

[Voxata]

Wait.. your signature.. you can't hear any differences between amplifiers?

 

[bigshot]

Not if the impedance is matched correctly. I find that modern audio components are designed to be audibly transparent... inaudible levels of distortion, flat response, super low noise levels, etc. It isn't like it was when I was starting out in this hobby in the late 60s. That is nice, because you can focus on what really counts... the transducers.

People who hear differences between amps probably are using them with cans they weren't designed for.

 

[Voxata]

Wow.. not sure how many amps you've heard but there's some definite differences, especially when you start dabbling tubes but even in solid states I've heard significant signature changes. Lots of DAC/amp manufacturers alter or smear the sound a little bit to make it seem more realistic or to add euphonics. This leads to changes in sound and theres also lots of different topologies. It's far more than impedence matching.

Transducers make the biggest difference yes but a good dac/amp pairing is important too. Jotunheim for instance has this 2d depth aggressive upper mid wall of sound thing going on that can fatigue over time. This was reported by a LOT of owners of this amp. This is a sonic characteristic that works with some headphones (HD650 as it's a very intimate headphone) and hinders others (one of the HE560's strengths is precise positioning) - point is the differences are there and depending on your setup it sure does matter.

 

[bfreedma]

Wow.. not sure how many amps you've heard but there's some definite differences, especially when you start dabbling tubes but even in solid states I've heard significant signature changes. Lots of DAC/amp manufacturers alter or smear the sound a little bit to make it seem more realistic or to add euphonics. This leads to changes in sound and theres also lots of different topologies. It's far more than impedence matching.

Transducers make the biggest difference yes but a good dac/amp pairing is important too. Jotunheim for instance has this 2d depth aggressive upper mid wall of sound thing going on that can fatigue over time. This was reported by a LOT of owners of this amp. This is a sonic characteristic that works with some headphones (HD650 as it's a very intimate headphone) and hinders others (one of the HE560's strengths is precise positioning) - point is the differences are there and depending on your setup it sure does matter.

Tubes - sure
Solid State - have anything beyond anecdotal evidence to offer?

 

[Voxata]

Sure, Google Jotunheim 2D or wall of sound etc to see the sea of reports.

 

[TheSonicTruth]

Not if the impedance is matched correctly. I find that modern audio components are designed to be audibly transparent... inaudible levels of distortion, flat response, super low noise levels, etc. It isn't like it was when I was starting out in this hobby in the late 60s. That is nice, because you can focus on what really counts... the transducers.

People who hear differences between amps probably are using them with cans they weren't designed for.

Speaking of impedances - not to go too OT here - a few of my good old buddies(yeah, right!) over on Usenet rec.audio.pro said that those impedance numbers on the backs of consumer amps, receivers, and speakers don't matter, as long as you don't drive concert level volumes for hours.

I replied in the context of, well, they're there for a reason, just like the recommended cold tire inflation pressures on the sticker on the door pillars of most cars nowadays. They said, basically, your loss, as in limiting yourself to speakers that match only the impedances of your amp. So I asked them, then what are they there for? "As a guide to showroom salesmen", they replied!

So according to them, with any home audio gear made in the last, say, thirty years, anything goes! "Wanna drive 3-4ohm speakers on your 8-16ohm rated receiver? Knock yourself out." I stated my respectful disagreement with them on the subject, to which 'None' added that I was "too fu-king dumb to read numbers anyway, and to put my helmet on and get back on the short bus".

Nice bunch a fellas, ehh?

 

[bfreedma]

Sure, Google Jotunheim 2D or wall of sound etc to see the sea of reports.

If I Google Bigfoot, I get a sea of reports...

 

[Voxata]

If I Google Bigfoot, I get a sea of reports...

Good rebuttal. Look, there are examples across multiple forums and reviewers if you look you can easily see the trend.

 

[bfreedma]

Good rebuttal. Look, there are examples across multiple forums and reviewers if you look you can easily see the trend.

I understand there is a lot of anecdotal and subjective evidence. What you need to make your case here are measurements or results of controlled testing that validate your claim.

 

[Voxata]

My experience is from over a year of owning the amp alongside contrasting amps. Fatigue and noted characteristics that comes with the Jot reliably that doesn't occur with others using all of the same gear, just a different amp. This is my impression that oddly mirrors that of many others that have owned the amp for a considerable amount of time. If you want proof to justify your "every amp sounds the same" mentality you won't get it from me. On the flip side please, prove all solid state amps sound the same. Thanks in advance.

Here is a review scientifically and subjectively showing differences. You can measure certain things, you can't measure everything.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...g-a30-and-schiit-magni-3-headphone-amps.4024/

 

[bfreedma]

My experience is from over a year of owning the amp alongside contrasting amps. Fatigue and noted characteristics that comes with the Jot reliably that doesn't occur with others using all of the same gear, just a different amp. This is my impression that oddly mirrors that of many others that have owned the amp for a considerable amount of time. If you want proof to justify your "every amp sounds the same" mentality you won't get it from me. On the flip side please, prove all solid state amps sound the same. Thanks in advance.

Here is a review scientifically and subjectively showing differences.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...g-a30-and-schiit-magni-3-headphone-amps.4024/

Measurements of properly constructed and operating solid state amplifiers have consistently shown that the differences are outside of the range of human hearing, thus the null hypothesis is that they will all sound the same. If you want to prove otherwise, it's up to you to provide the evidence.

I wouldn't use that site as proof on this forum. The individual taking the measurements has a long history of dishonesty (and that's being kind) which has been discussed in great detail here in the past. That said, which measurements do you believe show an audible difference - within the human auditory spectrum?

 

[Voxata]

That's like saying you can't tell the difference between 60 and 144hz monitors.

 

[bfreedma]

That's like saying you can't tell the difference between 60 and 144hz monitors.

Analogies like that don't move the ball forward. Rather than continuing the back and forth that's occurred many times on this subject, I'll bow out for now.

Happy to reengage if you have objective data or test results specific to the topic.

 

[bigshot]

I'll take the tag....

If an amp is designed to perform to specs that guarantee audible transparency, it will be audibly transparent. I don't know of any amps that aren't designed to be audibly transparent for the purposes of playing recorded music in the home. Do you, Voxata?