"JustMe" wrote in message


So, someone could build an amp which mimics the qualities of other
amps, simply by accurately measuring various aspects of the amps to
be mimicked and applying filters appropriately.

More specifically and technically, the adjustment facility for amplifier
mimicry would be a combination of linear and non-linear compensators.

A regular audio equalizer (parametric preferred, graphic accepted) would be
a kind of linear compensator.

There are no common high fidelity audio components that are intended to be
nonlinear compensators. The *Pod* device someone else mentioned may be an
example of such a device. However, its generally pretty sonically deadly to
put a complete musical signal through a highly nonlinear device because of
all of the non-harmonic spurious responses. When nonlinear devices are used,
they are usually used with just one voice or just one instrument.

If I was going to try to make a chameleon amplifier, I would start out with
a good clean pro audio type amp ( Hafler, Crown, QSC). I would front end it
with a 5-band parametric eq per channel. I might add a back-end device that
would provide a variable, perhaps even frequency-dependent source impedance
for the loudspeaker.

In use, I would try to duplicate the speaker voice-coil voltage of the amp
being *duplicated* by intelligent adjustment of the source impedance
simulator, and then fine tune the results with the parametric eq(s).

Wise audiophiles wishing to get off the new amplifier merry-go-round would
cut to the chase and just get some parametric eqs for their own system. Then
(and here is the hard part) they would learn to adjust them properly by ear.