Do amplifiers sound different from one another?
Yes, amplifiers have different sound characteristics which affect the reproduction of music. There is an body of opinion that competently designed amplifiers of flat frequency response which are run within their power limits all sound essentially the same. Not only is this not borne out by listening experience, it doesnt even make logical sense given the myriad variety of circuit details and components used in individual designs. This is a complex topic, but one interesting point is that an amplifiers sound is largely determined by its characteristics at low power since it is operating most of the time in this range. This is significant since many of the design challenges involved affect the performance of amplifiers at very low signal levels. How much power do I need? Very likely less than you think, especially if youve been reading the electronics store flyers recently! In actual fact, for most listening, most of the time, your amplifier or receiver is probably running at less than o
