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Me too...to answer your earlier question...

I believe in freedom of choice without insult and innuendo. My issue is with claims that a certain amp or amp topology is "best" or "better" than mine, or yours, for that matter. Personally, I couldn't care less what others like, but I don't appreciate the arrogance shown in dictating matters of taste. Putting down what others find excellent because it doesn't fit a model, a flawed study, or using measurements when it is convenient to an argument, but claiming they are irrelevant when not, etc., is propaganda, plain and simple.

How can there possibly be a "best" amp, i.e., one that does everything "best" in all systems, in all rooms, to all listener's complete satisfaction. Nothing is perfect. Each topology has it's strengths and weaknesses. We each consider those and based on our own preferences and ranking by importance of features, make a choice. The only person whose opinion matters is the one buying the equipment. It is ludicrous to be told that there is something inferior with your choice if you don't agree with some claimed "best".

Additionally, I know of no study of human preferences that has had unanimous results, that is, an audio study in which a group of people were asked for their subjective preference and had 100% agreement. You can't use a study based on subjective selection criteria to then infer something objective about those preferences. In other words, let's say someone did a study to see if there were certain types or patterns of distortion that were objectionable, or less offensive, or whatever. And 90 out of 100 people tested choose even ordered, descending harmonic distortion as agreeable, or least offensive, or whatever. That still leaves 10% with a different take. Are they "wrong"? You then take these results and say any amp that doesn't have this distortion pattern is fundamentally "flawed" or not as "good" as one that has the preferred pattern. Since no amp is perfect, it can't be anything but different! How can any value judgment be valid?

But you can argue objective performance. So when an amp is said to be "best", the only way that can be argued is through objective parameters, i.e., specs. Thus, I have asked for a spec comparison. We then usually get the "measurements don't tell the story". Well, no, they don't tell the subjective story, but again, that isn't open to debate. If a pet amp topology is "best", it should surely also measure well. But measurements are too simple to be accurate. Well, if an amp can't preform with simple signals, how are we to believe it does better with complex ones?

When an amp is putting out distortion at 5% and has harmonics at -40db, it isn't simply reproducing "live instruments" alone any more....it's an effects box. To each his own, I have no problem with that, again, that's subjective taste. But don't tell me an amp with clearly audible distortion is "best" or "better" in some objective way when there are those at 0.005% and -110dB down across all harmonics.


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