Jim Lesurf wrote:
In article , Rob
wrote:

I simply don't get this. I've been using 5 SS amps of late (Quad 405,
Rose power amp, Cambridge AV, Behringer A500, and that within a Pure
mini system), as well as others on and off over the years, and I feel
each has 'a sound of its own'.

The problems with the above are as follows:

1) Many people have formed such views as a result of simply using various
amps. I've also repeatedly changed from one amp to another and thought it
made a difference. But then later on I changed my mind when I listened
again. The problem here is partly one of control - e.g. not level matching
- and partly that human hearing varies with time, etc. So each time you
listen your ears/brain may simply respond slightly differently.

2) Yet when people do level-matched comparisons and avoid obvious snags
like clipping *and* have only the sound to rely upon, the result is often
that they can't reliably tell one amp from another.

FWIW A number of tests have also shown that people tend to hear
'differences' even when the same system is used in the same way.

The above does not mean that all amps produce the same results. Nor does it
mean that they all produce different results. But it means that people form
views that may simply be mistaken, and often fail to do comparisons which
help prevent well-known mistakes from occurring.


Yes, I agree. DBT is not a trivial thing though, and surprisingly (to
me) there doesn't seem to have been many rigorous tests to underpin the
'little if any difference' thesis.