Years ago, I was intelligent and believed that the specs on stereo gear told the whole story. One good power amp sounded the same as another one. Good enough was good enough, the human ear can't hear the difference. CD players all sound the same (perfect). Tubes and SS sound the same, all the hype is just marketing hype.
Then one day, I was in a stereo store, listening to some speakers. Suddenly the sound changed a bit. I asked the salesman what he changed. The power amp. Same preamp, same CD player, same speakers, different power amp (both high end models from the same manufacturer) and the sound changed. Bass got a bit tighter and the saxophone got a bit more "presence". I could hear it. We also did an A/B test between 2 CD players. On the cheap player, when the flute player inhaled, you heard a person breathe in. On the expensive player, you could hear the person's vocal character as he breathed in. The difference between the detail in the piano and flute were huge. Bottom line - Despite our efforts to reduce the sound of things to a formula the way circuits sound is tough to characterize. Often, similar things don't sound similar. I've learned to put my "engineering knowledge" aside and make judgments based on what I hear rather than what I already know. And THAT approach is what has led me to the K2. The sound of the audio is far better than other rigs I've tried. It is SMOOTH SOUND, pleasing to listen to, nice to operate. - Keith KD1E - - K2 5411 - >People.... >You really should know. I repeat....know... hands down....tube >amplifiers are the big winner in seeking esoteric audio reproduction. >McIntosh brings big bucks for a reason. Solid state just can't do what >tubes can. Solid state feels harsh, sounds harsh. >Tubes bring reality to audio reproduction. Warmth... _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
