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RE: Is there any real benifit sonically between class A, AB etc...

As long as you keep the amp in a comfortable operating range then the music can be as complex as you like and it doesn't get confused, compressed or glassy. This means you need a sensitive speaker and/or a small room.

If you go with lower sensitivity speakers, say 90db, then a 30 watt SET will work fine for complex music at moderate levels but not realistic concert levels.

I was able to get very good sound from a 30 watt SET on 84db electrostats because the drop to the listening position was only about 1db in my room. So to get in the mid 90s was possible without driving the amp to death, which was loud enough for me to easily enjoy classcial orchestra. Part of this was due to how well the system sounded with the SOFT parts of a symphony. I could set the lower end around 60db and then peaks to 95db were no problem. Most speakers just can't handle soft parts well until you boost them to where the peaks are now driving the amp to clipping. If the speaker can handle quiet passages without losing the sound quality (very few can do this even moderately well) then you don't have peaks of 105db at home, where most systems and rooms tend to be overloaded.


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