Hi all,
Not trying to be a tireless rebutter, but just returned home and thought this an interesting thread. Anyhow, I think intuitively that electronics, cables, etc, are the combination of numerous parts that combine to form an end product. In the culinary arts, different ingredients yield quite different food items.
The application of casual empiricism would lead me to believe the same about receivers and audio components. I don't think that different models that have heterogeneous components will sound homogenous in their final state. Speakers with the same drivers can sound very different if the crossover is tweaked slightly or if the box volume and dimensions are adjusted. In the same way I would think that individual parts of receivers can affect the unit's sonic presentation significantly. Do power supplies, DSP processing chips, and resistors make a difference? Does the quality of the receiver's pre-amplifier section make a difference? How about the internal toplogy? I have seen Yamaha advertise their TOPART design philosophy and have wondered if if influences sound (my first receiver was a Yammy that I was happy with).
Anyhow, I may be respectfully disagreeing with the majority here, but I do think that receivers and components introduce their own unioque sonic character in the audio stream. From cables to the speakers, I feel the audio signal is incluenced at each level.
I personally do not buy exotic cables or wires, and only stumbled on some Kimber 8PR cable on the cheap as someone I know was practically giving it away. More to the point however, I recently purchased a NAD receiver that I side-by-side compared with my older HK and a Denon 3802. I am not a scientist or audio guru, but using flat settings, banana plugs for hot swaps, and my trusty rat shack digital SPL meter, the same speakers in the same spot, and the same source material, I thought I heard distinct sonic characters of each receiver. I would have been happy with each and the differences weren't always nicght and day, but in the end my wife and I felt to our ears there was a clear winner.
Anyhow, I have always appreciated the advice and information on these boards and have an almost complete Axiom system because of it. I do however allow for the possibility of distinct differences in audio equipment. Regards,
Chad
