Re: Hifi landmarks

"soundhaspriority" <nowhere@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1sOdnSquk-gmJ2nZnZ2dnUVZ_rednZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxx

1. The RCA Victrola

No amplifier.

<note ignorance of Western Electric power amps>

2. Williamson amplifiers

OK

3. The Ultralinear design, which may be sampled as the
Dynaco Stereo 70

By most accounts the Acrosound power amp was at or near the apex of this
line.

4. Pick one tube Macintosh.

Relevant technology - the cathode-coupled output transformer with gobs of
local feedback.

4. The Dyna Stereo 120, as perhaps the end evolution of
capacitively coupled bipolar amplifiers.

Error! Corrected elsewhere.

Note ignorance of the first generation of SS amps with germanium output
transistors.

Note ignorance of the generation of SS amps with driver transformers.

Note ignorance of the generation of quasi-complementary power amplifiers

5. 1st generation direct coupled amps. Many were made.

Most were close clones of a design published in the RCA transistor manual.

6. Clean bipolar solid state.

Many of the designs already listed fit the bill.

Several approaches
resulted in pretty good results: Crown DC300/DC300A,

Note ignorance of the generation of high-powered SS amps with inadequate
current/voltage capabilites, of which the early DC300 was just one example.

MacIntosh, etc. Both used precision biasing to reduce
measured distortion far below what was previously achieved.

Just didn't happen.

7. The MOSFET amp. The Hafler DH-200, and the Acoustat
TNT-200, both early 1980's.

Ignores that Hitachi first innovated the use of their FET devices in their
own branded equipment.

8. Pick a Krell or other "blameless" design, representing
bipolar amplifiers of a very high standard.

Not clear at all that Krell innovated much of anything outside of gross
weight, overbuilding, and marketing hype. Clearest form of Krell marketing
hype was their innovation of vastly derating their amps power ratings at 8
ohms in order to make it appear that their amps approached the idea of
providing twice the power at half the impedance.

9. A modern SET amplifier.

Oxymoron. Their are no modern SETs - they are all throwbacks to a
generation of power amps that never really existed. Push-pull was invented
early enogh and advantageous enough that almost no class-A single ended
power amps were ever built in the days of tubes.

10. A modern switching amplifier.

Note lack of distinction of power amps that have switchmode signal handling,
and those that have switchmode power supplies. All 4 possible permutations
exist on the market.

Each of these products was followed by a host of
competitors with equal, better, or simply different
quality, or a mutation with different sonic
characteristics.

The categories and examples chosen by the OP are obviously based on
ignorance of history, the evolution of technology, and current technology.
Consider the source.


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Hifi landmarks
    ... Your comment about the RCA SS design is informative. ... Your assertion that modern amplifiers are overhyped may be true. ... Note ignorance of the first generation of SS amps with germanium output ... generation of power amps that never really existed. ...
    (rec.audio.opinion)
  • Re: Null speaker test
    ... that the best amplifiers have distortion products which are ... Unlikely in the narrow sense, but in the broader sense of ... That's the basic problem - there are so many variables that ... audibility of errors in power amps, ...
    (rec.audio.tech)