Do all amplifiers sound alike?
A reader wrote asking the age old question--Do all amplifiers sound alike? "Mr. Guttenberg, I've been enjoying what you write about since I am a budding audiophile. A guy I know claims that amplifiers do not alter the quality of the sound and pointed me to a web site with a $10,000 challenge by Richard Clark that states that the human ear cannot discern the differences between amplifiers. What are your feelings on the subject and do you think there is any merit to this man's challenge?"
Well, I do believe that there are important differences between the sound of amplifiers. To my ears the better tube amps sound warmer and more like the sound of live music than solid state amps, but really good solid-state amps sound more detailed and have better defined bass than tube designs. Cheap amps can sound hard and crude--they tend to add an aggressive edge to the sound of music that high-end designs do not. More objectively, better designs are more powerful and have an easier time driving "difficult' speakers or "low" impedance speakers.
I definitely hear differences, but I'm not all that interested in proving that to non-believers--hell, some people argue about whether they can taste the difference between Coke and Pepsi. I've heard some folks can't taste the difference between chocolate and vanilla in blind tests. Some have a hard time differentiating between Bud and Miller and Coors and Michelob and Pabst beers. Talk about people who have too much time on their hands.
Back to audio and blind testing, I find the stress of being put on the spot to prove my ears skews the results. Please understand, I've heard countless "sighted" comparisons and sure, many amps really do sound similar. Actually, the least effective way to evaluate electronics is to switch back and forth between two designs; I much prefer to just live with the unknown amp for a while, say a week, get used to it, and then return to the original familiar amp. That approach can really highlight the sonic differences between amps.
Steve Guttenberg is a frequent contributor to magazines and Web sites including Home Entertainment, Playback, and Ultimate AV. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. 
I am pretty skeptical of buying power cords to "clean" my AC, given that anything that transports electricity more efficiently would also efficiently transport electrical noise.
But above that, what is snake oil and what is practically useful?
"Strange but True: Snake Oil Salesmen Were on to Something"
By Cynthia Graber, Scientific American, 11-1-2007
"http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa029&articleID=F7B4BAF7-E7F2-99DF-3870FFECA70C38C9"
:)
TonyB.
If an amplifier has the power to drive the speakers it is paired with and offers enough headroom for transients, it will not make any contribution, positively or negatively to the sound quality. However, there are differences between tube amps and solid state amps, tube amps adding coloration in the form of distortion.
However, the uproar among their subscribers was deafening and caused the magazine to retract those statements in a hurry. Many subscribers stated "well... since all amplifiers sound alike, I guess I no longer need to subscribe to your publication to help me select the right one!". It was really a very comical fiasco to observe.
Solid State versus Tube? Of course there's a difference! One of the major differences is in how the amp handles "clipping". The voltage driven tube "rounds" off the waveform while the current driven solid state simply "chops off the top" of the waveform... much less appealing to the ear. But this is easily observed on even the cheapest 'scope.
A well built solid state amp (with adequite headroom for your particular choice of speakers and listening volumes) will, IMHO, render the most accurate reproduction of the sound source. However, the faster "rise times" of waveform will often lead to the perceived "edginess" of the solid state amp. In some circumstances, a less accurate reproduction of the recorded waveform is much more pleasing to the ear. IMHO!
I believe it was back in the late 70's or early 80's when a gentleman (who produced a particular line of amps) took a bet that he could make his solid state amp sound identical to an extremely popular and ridiculously expensive mono tube amp. He locked himself in a hotel room with the tube amp, measured the waveform imperfections, and "tweaked" his solid state to mimic the "less accurate" waveform produced by the high end tube amp. Then all the "golden eared" audiophiles attending this particular national show were challenged to try to correctly identify the high end tube amps. About half chose correctly... well within the "coin tossing" range. ;-)
This topic (obviously) always tickles me. As one individual has already noted here, the greatest effect on what you hear will be the room design and speaker placement. Second, IMHO, is the speakers. Third, IMHO, is source equipment. Fourth, IMHO, is amplification. Speakers will "color" sound more than any other piece of "quality" equipment you have. No, a $19.95 amplifier will not sound the same as a $1995.00 amplifier. However, a $2K amp may well sound the same as a $20K amp if both are suited to your speaker power requirements and listening volume preferences (given adequite headroom for the transients).
On wiring interconnects and speaker wire? If they can ever show me the difference in accuracy on modern test equipment, THEN I will pay their $20/foot for the copper. Anybody ever examine what happens to an accurate audio signal once it actually hits the speaker coils? ;-)
Best of luck in your audio decisions!
Disclaimer: All of the above is simply my opinion (as indicated by all the "IMHO"s) and some 40+ years of enjoying my audio systems. :)
Craig
All the comments here ultimately boil to answer the question which was, "Can I substitute any "good" amp in my system and hear a difference?" If the specs are similar and not exagerated, the question hasn't been worth the time to ask since 1978. If tube amps are included, the answer is probably, yes, because of their much higher distortion, which gives that "warm and fuzzy" feeling. Something to keep in mind nowadays is the input signal level expected by the amp. 1v or 2v. My receiver expects a 1v input and when I hooked up a new DVD player to it I couldn't turn the volume up past 2 because the DVD player was outputing a 2v signal. Different input impedances will create what seems to be a differences in output between components but if those factors are understood they can be adjusted for. MOINSH (My opinion is not so humble)
- by nolabar10der August 28, 2009 7:30 PM PDT
- After having run a series of amps in my life (albeit mostly integrated), I've concluded that while there are some audible differences between the units, they are negligible unless we are talking about headroom or sheer power, both of which are functions of an amp's rating and not it's 'sound.' "Negligible" does not mean "non-existent," but usually when I have heard measurable differences there is also a sizable difference in price. For the audiophile on any sort of budget, that money is best spent on speakers, source, and even things like room treatments, all of which have a far greater affect on the sound than the subtle differences between SS amps. That's precisely what I did to keep my system at it's target budget, as an extra $500 into my speakers *clearly* went farther than the same amount into an allegedly 'better' amp would have.
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(8 Comments)Of course, the madness about audio is that it's wildly subjective. I'm just expressing my personal conclusions after years of switching out gear (upgradeitus). But the bottom line is that yes, there are subtle differences between SS amps - the question is whether or not it is the wisest place to dump all of your cash.