[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dip16amp Six months ago when I completed and compared my balanced Dynahi (Dynamight) to my balanced Dynalo (Dynamid) they sounded similar at low volume levels but the biggest difference is at higher volume levels. My Dynamight gets used almost everyday at both lower volume levels as well as higher levels. The Dynamid just can't keep up with the Dynamight at all levels.

But if you're not listening to them at the levels you normally use them at, what does it matter? (Although if the levels you're discussing are the same as what you're normally listen to then this point is not germane). There are a fair number of amplifers out there that are class A into low volumes but Class B at higher volumes. If you never listen at the higher volumes, it just doesn't matter that they are in Class B when twice the power you're using is required...

One of the biggest differences I noticed when I moved from mid-fi to hi-fi components is that my listening levels dropped sharply (20 dB or more) because the music being produced was better defined and I could hear the details at a lower level.

 

[dip16amp]

The amplifiers that are being compared here are all high quality amps and the differences between them will be small at lower volume levels. If the extra power capability of the amps is not used for the music and volume level selected, then it doesn't make a difference to get the more power amplifier. There is a difference but it is just much more difficult and takes more time to discover those differences. Whether that difference is worth it is up to the listener. He is looking for easier ways to find the differences and improvements. This is what I noticed as the quickest and easiest way to find the differences.

 

[Beauregard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferbose Dgardner, your meticulous efforts at comparing amps is quite admirable. There is so much nonsense in modern audio nowadays. If only audio reviewers can start doing "some" objective listening....

Amen to that. The garbage that passes for 'evaluation' in hi-end audio would be ridiculed in any other human endeavor.
Quote:

Originally Posted by gpalmer I'm not sure we're addressing the same issue. I was stating that the variance in sound from changing headphones and sources are typically much greater than those of changing an amplifer.

I was clumsy in my expression. I was trying to say that I've never heard significant differences in 16-bit PCM sources; the hardware that's contributed most to my enjoyment of music is the transducer driven by a well-designed and sufficiently powerful amplifier.

 

[mverscho]

Just something else to consider; could the percieved differences detected in amplifiers at low vs. high listening volumes not also be a function of the Fletcher-Munson equal loudness curves? At lower listening volumes, the bass perception is reduced moreso than at the higher frequencies, and this may be responsible (possibly to a large degree) for improved ability to discern details in music, but also may reveal unequal frequency responses in equipment more readily as well...

Ref: The Elements of Musical Perception

OTOH, distortion in components is often determined at higher than normal listening volumes (sometimes with the aid of hearing protection...

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Having said all this, I agree with gpalmer that meaningful comparisons should probably be made at "normal" listening volumes; though my above point may illustrate just one of the reasons why equipment reviews can vary so much between individuals. Perhaps specific listening volumes could be also be listed (where possible) among the variables when objectivity or reproducibility is desired.

I think the use of A/B switches in comparing equipment is a great idea that should be used more frequently, and I have naturally found that detecting differences between equipment is often heard in certain passages of music (but usually after using one setup for awhile and listening to the same album(s) over the course of a few days).

I also tend to experience a sort of fatigue when A/Bing; perhaps there is a minimum rest time between sessions that will allow extended testing...