Do cheap amps sound different than expensive ones?
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- Опубликовано: 21 ноя 2019
- psaudio.com
There's an ongoing debate between the people who cannot or will not recognize differences in amplifier designs and those that accept those differences. Paul jumps right into the middle of the debate and touches on the divide in our country and fake news too. Have a question you want to ask Paul?
I have finished my memoir! You can go read it now: www.amazon.com/gp/product/173... It's called 99% True and it is chock full of adventures, debauchery, struggles, heartwarming stories, triumphs and failures, great belly laughs, and a peek inside the high-end audio industry you've never known before.
I plan a few surprises for early adopters, so go to www.paulmcgowan.com and add your name to the list of interested readers. There's an entire gallery of never before seen photos too. 
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I am not even an audiophile, I just love music. The reason I keep watching these videos is Paul’s wisdom and absolutely sympathetic nature. It just warms your heart that in this crazy world there are still people around like Paul. Thank you!
Would love to see a video of you blind testing different pricepoint amps
Amps do sound different but not nearly as much as speakers.
@ Mark.....well....if that's an Internet myth, I agree. 😂
Speakers make the most noticeable difference in any system!
@@nostro1001 No the room makes the biggest diff
@@user-uf4lf2bp8t No speakers makes the most difference then room
@@andreasmoller9798 you guys are arguing for nothing. If I replace $10000 speakers with $100 speakers, of course it makes bigger difference than the room.
You can replace speakers. Its much harder to have proper room. I am thinking moving my sound to basement but not likely
Some great points Paul you've got such a nice way of explaining things,I must thank for all the education over the last few years since I started getting your emails and watching your videos.
Thanks again Paul ,the voice of reason in the audiophile world
I use those optivisers for jewelery making. 😆 And I just threw all my yellow tools out.
... and that's why I ONLY use clippers with red handles.... yup
Very well said! As someone already said, you are a voice of reason in the audiophile world.
Cost is not the best metric for good audio. Good passionate skilled engineering makes good audio.
I though you were going to say "Cost is not the best metric for good audio... weight is!"
😉😉
The quality of parts is also vital to great sound.
@@terrywho22 It usually takes some weight to play louder with more dynamics...e.g. heavier magnets in the speakers, and heavier heatsinks and transformers in the power amp. Especially for speakers, you want thick walls for minimize any vibration effects from the cabinet walls. Some equipment doesn't play better through weight. E.g. for a modern DAC the magic happens within the DAC chip and even your tiny white iPhone 3.5mm dongle is a DAC with a performance that can easily fool people in a blind test to think is a very expensive DAC.
@@doowopper1951 Yes and no. It depends on what parts, the design and so on. Other parts can be more expensive, but are not especially related to sound quality/improvement. They are about aesthetics perhaps or maybe longevity.
However, it's easy to open many amps and see what you're getting.
Cheers!
@Fat Rat Cabinet wood is not a good diaphragm for accurately reproducing sound waves. Cabinets generate harmonic distortion and, like for tube amps, some people like the effect of (even order) harmonic distortion being added. This especially can create an illusion of the music being more live.
My preference is purest sound possible without cabinet contributions, tube amp distortion or other such added effects.
"Bob's gonna be pissed" Chuckle, chuckle! Love to watch these vids' Paul. lmao once again. Keep them coming!
Thanks! Glad you're here.
Also sometimes a cheaper amp can sound better because it is a better match for a certain speaker. As a matter of fact, matching an amplifier with speakers should be the goal. I have an expensive Hegel amplifier that 80% of the time mops the floor with my Rotel integrated. But my Rotel with one particular set of expensive speakers I own blows my Hegel out of the water.
I have tried my av amp in my Hifi set up and they certainly sound different!
Of course amps sound different. All things being the same except the amp its easy to hear. Especially between my vintage from the 70s and my new digital one. Huge difference.
Your microphone is clipping again! Thanks for the great videos. :)
I love the way your lab looks
So mad scientist looking
I repaired amplifiers for 11 years. Mostly I ran them on my reasonable test speakers so I got to hear a large range of brands and models. Some sounded a little cleaner/ clearer than others. Some held their clarity a little better at volume (such as class A amps). On the whole, not a great difference to my ears using my own test discs... except for one... Technics "new class A" amps. I could tell a difference immediately. Sometimes I would be connecting one up on the bench and I hadn't even looked at the label yet. The amp would come on and I'd say "wow". I can hear the tops that much clearer. I can hear tiny nuances that just don't seem to come through with most others. I'd then look at the front panel, see the Technics new class A label and say "ahh, right". They were not the most expensive amps but boy could I hear the difference over many of the much more expensive ones I fixed. No wonder they still go for good money when you can find one. Anyone else like that series?
I've been looking for a good cheap amp for a stereo setup and I'll probably just get one of those because of this comment. I've found some pretty cheap on craigslist and the ebay prices don't seem so bad either. Are there any other good amps you've had experience with?
@@emmemmemm2360 None that stood out unless they were pure class A and those are expensive and usually only low power output unless you go big big money. The best ones out of the Technics that I remember were the Class AA with VC4 amp (they say VC4 on the front). They go for a bit more when you can find them (few hundred) but they were the cleanest sounding of the Technics stuff. I'm still looking out for one. Most sellers want too much since they know what they have. Make sure you have good tweeters and mids if you really want to hear how crisp they can sound
@@tenmillionvolts Do you have any affordable speakers to recommend?
@@emmemmemm2360 I usually just audition speakers and decide at the time. I prefer the metal dome tweeters and something three way if possible unless you go for bookshelf in which case a small woofer will give pretty good mids. I'm out of touch with the latest speakers, so just go with what sounds good to you
@@tenmillionvolts Alright, I appreciate the advice! 👍
good on you ,Paul.
A definition of "better" is open for discussion in this ludicrous audio world.
Not sure if you reply to comments but thank you for the new fuses for my pwd. I was worried it wasnt going to turn on amymore. It worked perfect. Would upgraded fuses make any differences in my pwd dac, or the originals are plenty good. Thanks!
Good old "Optivisor" Been using them for 36 years!
What's great is you can interchange different powered lenses. Great visor.
Price aside, some amps do sound better than others. Just last night I hooked up a pair of AR tower speakers I had set aside to see how they would sound in a room. I had recently acquired a Rotel RB-1092 amp so I thought I'd use it. My first thought was, I remember these speakers sounding better. I decided to try a Carver TFM-15CB I have and then the AR's came alive! Definitely a better sound. More dynamic for sure. I wasn't even planning on doing an AB comparison but I was so underwhelmed by the Rotel, and it wasn't a cheap amp when it was new.
Sometime yes as an exception.
Hey Paul, appreciate your videos and specially your input regarding "the truth" issue when you went to the weeds
By the way, Im using a vintage cheap akai aa1030 which for me is too great to change 😂
wow, I did not expect this one to go philosophical :)
I've tried many amps over the years and each one has had it's own character. Even with speakers that were in theory not as revealing the differences were there. Where I differ with Paul and from most people commenting is that from my experience I would recommend spending more on a better amplifier and perhaps a little less on the speakers. I find an incompetent amplifier driving a pair of great speakers generally sounds less satisfying than a better amp driving driving a pair of speakers a little further down in the line.
The whole internet/RUclips claims well explained, very good, I totally agree.
It's true that my 10 year old, £300 Cambridge Audio amp sounds amazing!!
Sometimes, you can easily tell the difference between two devices. But which one is better? That's depends on you preference. So maybe you don't need to care about the difference, just try to choose the right one for yourself.
Thanks Paul
Imagine you are in an art gallery, standing some 20 meters away from a wall with two seemingly identical paintings. For simplicity, let's assume this is modern art, and both are just massive rectangles of pure red color.
From a distance they look absolutely identical. When you get up close, you notice that not only does the left one have a slightly different color, but the paint isn't evenly thick, with small spots missing color completely, and with visible, huge brush strokes. The other one is like an impossibly perfect rectangle of red, like the painting was born like that and not covered with paint. The left one also has small spots of what looks like black or gray paint spattered all over it, and the outer edges are somewhat rough.
That's the difference between a cheap amplifier and an expensive one. They may have similar sound characteristics when listened to for just a couple of seconds (the folly of quick A/B tests), but the more you listen, the bigger the difference gets. The cheap amp sounds thinner, with more noise, less smoothness, and the space between the notes aren't as silky black as what the expensive amp is capable of. Sound staging will often be compromised as well - width, depth and height will be smaller than what the expensive amp can muster.
It's not dissimilar from how the same sound system may sound better at night - but with even bigger differences as the difference in price increases.
Remember - it's the SLOW listening that matters - not the quick "is this better or that" tests that so many think are of any use. They are not. Good equipment will give you less listening fatigue and you will play more music in longer sessions.
Well said paul, there's lot people that just do hear the difference, that's because they are just not tuned in like us audiophiles, we are a special breed, that's not undermining the people that don't hear the difference, its just the truth, but there's load of very good audiophile amps out there that are cheap & I mean cheap, so you can be a audiophile on a budget & get really good sound.
at the end of day is the sum of all components is what makes the "Sound of a system." not just the amp loudspeakers and crossover components make an amp extension so its all relative.
That is an accurate statement, yes. Thanks.
Most people probably will not tell the difference from a 1k amp to a 10k amp, and if they could is the extra cash worth the extra improvement . No , not unless you have money to burn, or a hardened enthusiast
It's all relative.
My 3.5 Watt Audion 2A3 driving RETHMs sounded lightyears better than MacIntosh or Carver I used to have driving whatever I had at the time.
The First Watt SIT3 I have now is relatively cheap in the grand scheme of things and with my Cube Nenuphar (not cheap)I think it would be difficult to squeeze another few percent improvement with a different amplifier at any cost. If I were to win the lottery tomorrow I would keep the SIT3 and Nenuphar as the heart of my system. Probably start looking at a Ypsilon phono stage and Koetsu stone carts.
There are bad matches with amps and speakers, but it's more to do with cheaper amps not being able to handle lower impedance loads etc.. Technically you can't "hear" and amp, your only hearing your speakers which the amp sends power... I think you could argue this forever but the last person that would give an honest answer or take a live blind test would be the guy selling amplifiers...
out of curiosity I priced PS audio products was actually quite impressed that a person can acquire equipment of that caliber of the stellar line for what I feel a reasonable price, not cheap but not outlandish.if I was ever to the point where I was ever going to be able to afford equipment of that quality I would not think twice of buying PS audio, and paul I think you would take the fear out of investing in higher end equipment.
Simple answer should be that People should simply listen and try and compare things for themselves before they invest . Only use reviews as an initial reference. Mind you if people are lucky enough that they can't hear the difference then that's great for them...as they will save a fortune and a life time of buying selling and dreaming or upgrading until satisfied .
Wow, deep amp wisdom here ;) Who've thought :D
It is possible but rare. The difference in the quality of the circuit boards, the quality of the parts that get put on those boards, the method of attaching those parts to those boards and the list goes on. I have listened to amps from a couple of hundred to many hundreds of thousands. Yes, there are differences but I have found the farther you go up the chain you run into the law of diminishing returns. It's not really a law but it does show a good point.
Thanks again Paul! You didn't get political, but you sure did get philosophical! Love it.
everything is political
How would the $30 class D amps go compared with a 3 grand amp? I compared my Jaycar cheap class D amp with a Jaycar $300 class B amp and there was heaps of difference. The $300 amp killed the $30 amp not only in power but also quality. It's the difference in quality that was so obvious. But the difference is only really apparent with A-B tests. Before doing the test I thought the class D was "impressive". I wish I did it with a blindfold. But I expected way less difference, so maybe I did get it right without the blindfold.
No point comparing Class A/B to D in my opinion anyway.
Over the years I believe 1 thing in regards to sound. "Trust your ears".
Opposite here. From my experience, new equipment often sounds better in the beginning and can become boring or even shitty sounding over time. Especially when certain details start to catch the attention.
Also the misleading nature of psycho-accoustics is something that I've started to notice more and more.
sure.. which is beyond incorrect. whats funny is we wouldn't have the science of audio engineering in the first place if that was all anyone ever did. Im sure you love homeopathic medicine, because you "trust your body" as well. -_-
Unfortunately, our ears are connected to a brain that is highly affected by what we come to believe. Over the years I've come to understand that listening test is great and necessary, but nothing beats professional measurements in regards to getting the basics right on sound. Don't just trust your ears...but yes, you also need to trust your ears. Especially speaker performance is poorly expressed in just raw specifications, but still the very basics is important like frequency response and low THD. Often you might find that something that measures poorly can sound good with certain music and horrible with other music.
@@julianayala03 After 25yrs & 1000+ installs. I trust my ears. Equipment is only as good yr install. U can hv great equipment + with shitty installation = shitty sound.
@@QoraxAudio Refer to my other reply.
Well said
Having started out with cheaper amps and moving up, in general, when you pay more you get better sound quality. But there are affordable amps that sound very satisfying.
You got to differentiate ... ‘Satisfying’ vs ‘Great Sounding’ too.
But at times a great sounding amp may not have the sort of sound signature that we like. Some people like it neutral. Some hate the etched highs. Some like some bass.
There are quite a few factors that come into play.
One of the British speaker manufacturer’s forum says they are all the same. All amps are supposed to be just a wire with gain. As long as they measure flat, they are the same. No point spending on expensive boutique brand amps.
Yeah right ...
They even say, tubes suck. The brand owner himself says he’s produced a good product and why is it wasted on tube systems that are relatively full of distortion etc.
Yeah right ...
Sound quality is only part of the cost of amplifiers. Quality of internal parts is a factor. Reliability is also a factor. And also R&D is another factor.
what do I need to look for a good sound amp?
All amps sound different. And very obviously so. Better, worse...whatever. Definitely different
What the hell is 2160p? That's really needed to just to see Paul talk?
Nowt wrong with a good rant!
Stereophile article on blind listening tests showing a definite difference between two amps: www.stereophile.com/features/113/index.html
A whole page - hydrogenaud.io/index.php?topic=82777.0
Some important thoughts about our society
Taramp's HD 3000 1 Ohm Class D Full Range Mono Amplifier
Lanzar VIBE452N Vibe 6000 Watts 4 Channel Mosfet Car Speakers Sub Amplifier
What do you think of these what one is better?
It’s the reason anyone buys interconnects, speaker cable, power cables, audio wall outlets and that is the purity of copper, tolerance of components, even then at certain volume a cheap amp might match the quality, turn it up and listen to what happens
Fat Rat ok I forgot to mention technology, you eliminate “skin effect “ using solid core technology, kudos to you man, I’m sure your system sounds amazing
Also It depends of quality of records that you listening. Bad digital record will be sound on expensive amp, almost bed as on cheap one. The true is parts on expensive ones are nat so much expensive to cost thousands. The brand is that makes the big difference in the price. Of course the quality end the price of parts in expensive one, are mach more, then a cheap ones.
Well from now on I'll be avoiding those yellow clippers.
@Aussie Shane... that's the joke?
believe your own ears. but that means ya gotta do a lot of listening.
I think there are a few things to point out here : 1) The definition of "Better" Is different for every listener ; 2) Amp 1 Is Not necessarily Better than amp 2...It might be Better to your ears or drive Those specific speakers you are using Better ; 3) There are non-quality related factors that Will affect price so sometimes a cheaper amp might sound Better (TO YOU) than an expensive One. For example I would pick my Harman Kardon A402 over most of the Amps that you can find for less than 1000
Why do some people say that a 4ohms can be powered by a less expensive power amp? Is it because the 4 ohm speaker is better built and can handle the cheaper amp? Can someone shed some light on this? Thank you
Frank said, "don't you eat that yellow snow"
I have two amps made by different manufacturers that have similar power outputs. The one amp costs twice as much as the other and honestly sounds almost twice as good. The more expensive amp has a higher quality built in DAC and a ton of DSP settings though. This could be the reason why it sounds better though but i'm no expert. The comparison should be between two amps with the same specs.
There are people that not only can't hear the difference but they don't want to hear that difference 😌 That's the problem
Hey, Paul, thanks for not contributing to all that "rumor clutter".DC
Is blind pick the same as ABX test?
ABX is a confusing test, it really mess with the sences both in sight, taste and ears, Blind A B testing on the other hand is better.
holy shit. Now I can justify my expensive audio set up. I will use it as a demonstration in my political communication class when I explain "fake news" to the young students! excellent!!!
In Australia pissed = drunk... Pissed off = mad as in angry.
I remember one famous youtube channel post a video that all amp sound the same, end up with shame on him.
no.voltage/electricity is what we preceived as sound.that's what we hear.
“There are no absolutes” is, it’s self an absolute. I would agree however, that there are very few.
Is the answer to this question no?
The thing is "different" doesn't necessarily mean "better". And even if it actually means "better" immediately we must address the automatic next question "better for what?" . Because some amps sound better for some kind of music and no more. There is no universally better amp.
Thanks, Paul, you've touched on an inportant distinction here. Does Amp A sound different from Amp B? Sure. Is Amp A better than Amp B? Assuming no obvious failings like 10% THD, subjectivity is going to play a large part.
Audio pioneer gives comprehensive lecture on truth and deception using audio equipment as a launching pad
Hahahahahaa good one, yelow, nice!
Exactly what the CIA does in Venezuela, oh the homelessness, meanwhile in California is riddled with homelessness...
.
I totally agree with “intentional” chaos
And yes, we need to be able to think and asses for ourselves,
all Chinese amps are just as good as anything that is hand crafted in the USA or Japan! and I am also a co-owner of a dance club with Elvis and & Michael Jackson and on open Mic nights drinks are 1/2 off for the ladies!
Luckily, I grew BEFORE the internet and therefor I don't suffer from it's retardation. I trust my ears to steer me in the right direction when it comes to audio and I don't listen to anybody on that subject.
@ J.T.
I'm not sure you can conclude that?
Before the internet there was plenty of magazines with reviewers and the like. There was also a great emphasis on the sales person in the bricks and mortar stores.
Today, there is more information readily available. That is all....more doesn't mean better, just as in the past less didn't mean more valuable.
Like anything, it's about being able to determine the facts from fabrication. Is the subject matter being written from those with a vested interest. Is the author following well founded scientific 'laws' or just making stuff up as they go along etc.
But, yes.....do trust your ears. What sounds good to you may not sound good to others, but as the listener your ears are all that matter.
Cheers 🎶🎶🎶
@@nostro1001 That's true. I don't really care what other people like or don't like I just determine it for myself.
@Fat Rat haha......yes👍🏽
@@j.t.cooper2963 well....you can't go wrong that way, cause you'll always be happy. 😊😎
Taking the phrase, " cheap amps" and adding the term, reputable, would add a new dimension to the question, as there are lots of budget amps out there nowadays, from Very reputable companies that could be classed as giant slayer's, so to speak,
you pay for bragging rights, always have always will,,😁
Paying mega bucks for that extra 10% in performance, to me thats the insane part
What is mega bucks? $1000? $5000 $10k?
@@Scottlp2 I am speaking in general, could be that and more
Guys he said it. He said fake news😎🤣
Just go to car audio. Listen to an alpine vs almost any of the big names like Sony or pioneer. There’s just no comparison. The numbers compare but even though I hate alpine everything else, their amps are just head and shoulders above the other mainstream brands. Well that’s early 2000s experience, but you get the picture.
I'm confused. Are yellow clippers going to give me cancer?
@Aussie Shane you're not the sharpest set of clippers in the draw are you!
You heard him guys go get a good cheap amp LOL
Yeah, and some salesman on the internet that sells veery expensive amps from a company called "PS Audio" will ofcourse say that those very expensive amps sounds better than a cheap one.
The truth is that many cheaper amps nowadays measures better than what our human ears can hear and those blind test prove that.
That is true, but what does a good measuring amp mean? Not much when it comes to sound quality. Good sounding amps can, and sometimes do, measure well, but it's in the listening that matters. There are certainly excellent sounding low cost amplifiers on the market. They do not have to be expensive to sound great.
@@Paulmcgowanpsaudio An amp that measures well is just akin to a 1040 tax form with a correct citizen's address.
@@Paulmcgowanpsaudio Longevity matters to. For years, I've had an Alpine amp that's been connected but used due to vehicle electrical issues. I 😢just fired it up to a little Beetle speaker and it ran right away. 😊
Since you’re speaking of “cheap”, you’re obviously speaking of cost. So, what would you consider to be the cut-off point between cheap and not cheap. To be clear, I concur; it would be like comparing a Koenigsegg hypersport car with a Soviet-made car from the eighties.
As we say, clothes don't make the man, in other words, it's not always the expensive items that give you the best sound and vice versa
I think the real trick here is the following. Super HiFi Corp produces a new amp, lets call it the XYZ-2300. First one off the production line is Serial # 1001. Two years later XYZ-2300 Serial # 1475 rolls off the assembly line. Does XYZ-2300 Serial #1001 sound the same as XYZ-2300 Serial # 1475. Probably not. And why not? Note this is a consumer grade product not a military grade product.
Adcom put out some wonderful amps, but they were notorious for the same model amps sounding different from one another. They were constantly buying different parts from different manufacturers and substituting “equivalent” parts.
@@juliaset751 A small part of my career was involved in designing Mil-Spec Electronic systems. You have to very carefully define each and every part to a rigid spec and not deviate. Consumer Electronics would be 3x the cost if they were built to those standards. To absolutely build them all the same you contract for a run of lets say 1000 systems and buy the parts for all of them at the same time. When the parts are used up you release a new model with a new parts list.
@@wilcalint Thanks, I agree. I assume that all manufacturers, including PS Audio, have challenges when it comes to parts inventory. Having built quite a few DIY systems, I often had to find equivalent parts, or even just figure out what to use for a part in a schematic in a magazine. One can certainly find dozens of caps that have the same voltage rating and capacitance, but are they going to perform the same? I guess that is the art of it, and the fun.
What is cheap and what is expensive, now that is the question ?
I guess it's like a painting. When you look at a painting for the first time, in the first 2 seconds you will know if it's just okay or if you absolutely love it. With amps, the first few seconds should tell you if you're impressed or not. If after an hour of listening and you're not sure if it's the better amp, then i didnt have an impact on you so why even bother with it?
A good power supply is necessary for good sound and a cheap amp will have a cheap power supply.
@Mike Eastridge Some people like that sound. Older transistors tend to have a warmer sound. I'd rather have a 70's amp with great power supply than a new amp with a crappy power supply.
@@andershammer9307 I have 70s transistor amps that sound warm, and 70s transistor amps that are analytical. Designing amps is complex.
@Fat Rat I'm 58 years old and I'm listening to the same system I listened to in 1982 and I don't feel any need to compensate for my hearing. If anything I seem to be even more picky about what I hear.
Something tells me Paul has some strong political views and how our country is being divided 😀
Haha love the low key dig at trump in there
Quality often costs more. Great amps can be had at reasonable cost == Sprout100...WONDERFUL amp....$600. Stellar stack.....$4000.... 5 times better sound? NO. Sound improvement worth the cost? YES!!
Try many different amps and buy what sounds best regardless of cost. But yeah, good amps cost more.
Only with theoretically perfect amplifiers, they'll all sound the same.
Because an amplification is an amplification, that's all.
Differences between amplifiers are the manifestation of signal distortion; something that is inescapable in the real world.
I think someone misunderstood that and so a new myth was born.
So 'the powers that be' are responsible for the false claims on the internet? Hmmm...
Well, yes, indirectly at least. A politician may not have said anything about amplifier quality and whether or not you can tell a difference, but they'll muddy the waters in the fields they talk about. And when our societal leaders make policies out of, essentially, lies, we are, individually and as a society, generally effected by them on a psychological level. We are taught to depend on our emotions instead of reality, and that is what causes most of the problems we face today.
Do expensive cars and cheap cars are the same if you respect the speed limit ?
Expensive cars will only give you more power and more confort on the road... like expensive amp will do in a system !
Why do poor people always ask that kind of question ? (the answer is in the question, LOL)
a) Your analogy makes no sense at all and b)
"Why do poor people always ask that kind of question?" Because necessity teaches them the meaning of good judgement.
Sneering at people who have less money than you isn't a good look.
@@thisisnev : I'm used with "poor people" in hifi forums. In a way I'm poor too if I compare my system to high end ones. The problem is "poor people" always glorify low cost product, just because they can buy these, and deny expensive stuff they can't afford...
@@francois-xaviergonnet7216 We glorify low cost product if it's good. Plenty of it isn't. And you'd be surprised how much 'expensive' product we can afford on the second-hand market. Don't assume we're all listening to rubbish and don't know any better.
@@thisisnev : 90% of my system is second hand... but that doesn't mean it's low cost. I've seen so many people glorifying stuff... and loose total interest in the product 6 month later.
Look at SMSL for exemple, everybody talks about it... It may be good but it's not as cheap as it seems. And when you see what's in the box, first you ask why it cost so much for this, and two how can such a light weight design sound really good, or better than similar products ?
Some people says it can compete with much more expensive products... big joke !
Squirrel
Why are expensive Amps not cheap? There are the same parts in it.
Cheap amps are only calculated. You have the transistor and calculate the resistors. Difference of the resistors is 5% . Difference over all can be 10%. Then a roboter puts it together. Now the transistor is running and changes the first two weeks. There is no precision any more, just accidently.
Expensive Amps are differently produced. They take the transistors and let them run for two weeks. Then they see what they have. They calculate the resistors. They take a big resistor to get about the right resistance and a small resistor to be exact. This amp is partly handmade, so it is expensive.
But can you hear the difference? Ask Paul.
I don't want to know what a 15K amp sounds like...
Probably sounds like deminishing returns.
How good it sounds subjective and also controlled by rooms, placement, speakers and input sources.
If I were an unscrupulous seller of cheap, crappy amplifiers, I could set up a blind test using the worst speakers and an awful $20 turntable with a worn-out stylus. A $20,000 amp won't make that pile of sh*t sound any better.
Voila! I'll have a blind test that "proves" my cheap and sounds as good as the expensive rival.
There are differences between every equipment and cables. The people that can't hear the differences is because those people have very bad speaker Positioning Setups, which mask all the differences. Yes and that's a fact and I will prove everyone of those people wrong over and over wrong guaranteed. Try me and experience the differences.
this video should have been 1:30 > long