>>I hear the sound of the freewheel clicking, but the "all amps sound the same" crew seems to be going downhill and picking up speed.
I know this is fun to watch, but are we maybe missing the point here ? The "all amplifiers sound the same" statements are normally made when someone asks whether a Denon or Yamaha AVR will be a better match for their Axiom speakers. Our response, which I think is fair, is that it's generally going to be very difficult to hear a difference between two amplifiers of similar power and similar design.
I have always believed that a big honkin' high quality power amp is going to sound better than a good moderately powered amp/receiver, but the difference is relatively subtle compared to spending the same $$ on speakers and there is still lack of agreement on what really makes the better amp sound better. It may really be placebo effect, I don't know -- my personal theory is that watching the analog power meters excites different areas of the brain and improves the overall listening experience
Double-blind speaker testing is relatively easy to do since the switching is easy. Double-blind electronics testing is harder and -- I hate to say it -- that is probably the real reason we're still arguing about this after 50+ years of audiophiles have had their say.
I am still a bit suspicious of digital amplifiers in general, for no good reason other than a healthy respect for what has been proven to work. Having said that, I also have confidence that if anyone comes up with a breakthrough amplifier there's a decent chance that Ian and Tom will be the ones who do it.
