Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater speakers on the way!

maybe the new Axiom amp sounds like a winner

Chris, you certainly should be aware that if the frequency response is flat from 20-20KHz and the noise and distortion are at inaudibly low levels(all accomplished at quite low cost these days in all competently designed units)that there's no audible difference in the sound when the designed power limits aren't exceeded. There's no personal opinion or "notion" involved in this; basic principles of audio technology are applied to provide transparent amplification and claims regarding differences(sometimes "huge", "night and day", etc.)collapse when all the variables(especially holding sound level to within 0.1dB, a common failure in casual listening)are controlled in a proper blind listening test. This is well-established.

Two different amp models with the exact same THD figure can sound very different. The audible difference is a result of the distortion's harmonic content. You can listen to a tube amp that has 1% THD and it will sound better than a solid state amp with the same THD. The solid state amps tend to generate high order odd harmonics while the tube amps generate low order odd harmonics that are less offensive to our ears. But what about solid state amps that have a very low THD figure? Does harmonic content really matter? Are the differences that KlipschGuy (BTW, ditch that name) hears the result of the specific amplifier switching topology?

JohnK is right about frequency response. For practical listening applications, modern solid state amplifiers reproduce every frequency in the audible range with equal emphasis.

Maybe the differences that we hear are due to differing slew rates or output impedances or clipping distortion or open loop responses or speaker to amplifier interfaces. Or maybe all of the above combined. Who knows? The fact that there are audible differences between amps is actually obvious to most. The degree of difference and why there are differences is not.

John, in that case your generic brand X HTIB that cost $150 at CC will sound the same as my EMO Big Dogs? Do you really beleive that?

There is more in these units than what you suggest, each company sees a different approach to how music should sound and hence design their equipment to sound a certain way. Lets A/B an HTIB against any decent AVR, no contest.

Out of interest, what are you using in your front end?