🚀 go-pugleaf

> ] whether anyone out there who has different opinions can provide
> ] *scientifically sound* evidence that I'm wrong.
>  
> 
> I am amazed really, when I went looking for a CD setup I compared several
> amplifiers. When I heard them in different shops I couldn't remember the exact
> differences. When I finally decided on the shop to buy from I sat down and chose
> the speakers first. They are Mission 760i's Then I heard all amplifiers with
> one CD player. I compared a Denon and Onkyo receiver with a Denon amp and there
> was an appreciable difference. In the receivers the sound was slightly muffled
> but in the Denon PMA 250 II the sound was lucid and clear.
> 
> A few weeks after I bought my system I was back in the same shop. I wanted to
> hear more amplifiers so that I knew when and how to upgrade. I compared a Musical
> Fidelity B1, a Creek 4040, a Mission Cyrus 1 and a Marantrz PM 94 with my Denon
> PMA 250 II. All the amps were appreciably more expensive. The Creek sounded
> worse. The Musical Fidelity sounded a bit warmer. The Mission was a bit warmer
> and the Bass was more solid and the Marantz was the best of them all. 
> I wasn't able to decide my future upgrade but there was a tremendous difference.
> My wife is a bit more critical than I am. She is more practical and not such a
> hifi enthusiast but she can pick differences very easily, too.
> 
> Another point. If Stereo Review beleives in its own results then why does it rate
> some amplifiers as good and some as bad. If there is no difference.
> 
> The only way those people might not have been able to detect any difference would
> be under the following conditions.
> 
> 1. They were exposed to high levels or extended periods of noise causing
> listening fatigue.
> 2. The source was of a low quality.
> 3. More importantly the speakers were of poor quality. If speakers have high
> distortion levels then they can camouflage the distortion in amplifiers. If they
> have to much bass and a sharp treble then again they would not show the amplifier
> characteristics. The speakers need to be close to linear.
> 4. The music played was of a poor quality. Rap or heavy metal would generally not
> show the amplifier differences. Rather they expose the weaknesses in speakers.
> 5. The listening room had other sources of noise.
> 6. The audience had short attention spans.
> 7. etc. etc.
> 
> 
>
I am intrigued as to why you think your comparisons of amplifiers have
any real meaning, even to youself. How did you maintain levels between
amps when switching? Even 0.5dB change which is not noticeable as a
difference in level to most people, has been shown in double blind
testing, to make people prefer one amp over another. Even when the same
amp is used. Did YOU do double blind tests? While not commenting on the
quality of the Mission speakers you have, what makes you think that
these or any similar speakers, will be flatter or have less distortion
than ANY of the amps you mention? What music do you think shows up
limitations in the amp rather than limitations of the speaker? There are
differences between amps of course, and most of these that matter can be
readily measured. But while I can repeatedly pick differences between
speakers, even with level changes, I cannot repeatedly pick differences
between amps that have similar measured performance when operated well
within their capabilities. Maybe others can, but I have not seen it done
myself.