best amp designers

[Bill Coltrane]

It's relatively easy to design a no compromise amp. Just use the best schematic with the best components and the best layout, done.


The real difficulty is designing something cheap as possible AND good sounding.

 

[MarcelvdG]

How do you get the best schematic and how do you know it is indeed the best?

(I know Nordholt tried to come up with a method to find a near-optimal design, but as soon as the boundary conditions were different from his assumptions, the method fell apart again. Besides, he only looked at class A circuits. Nonetheless, it's an interesting method.)

 

[lt cdr data]

To design an audio amp, the designer must have highly trained ears for the sound of music, both for instrument sounds and expression. That is, he must be as chef cook rather than chemist to produce great tasting dishes. The great masters were the Japanese designers of 50's to 70's when the Japanese men after work were at tea houses to enjoy primarily HiFi music. The music should sound good if not better than the competitor, or else the tea house is loosing the customers. J. Hiraga is just a student of these great masters.

wtf, I disagree, he should just be an excellent electronic engineer

how do you design an amp to sound good?

, all it needs to do is work

sound is in the ear of the beholder

i had 2 of the bss's, superb, but noisy, had to send em back, hard life

 

[dreamth]

is this topic going to become a rocket science discussion too?

 

[lt cdr data]

some of the designers I haven't heard of

if ppl could put either their designs or company please, tks

 

[Bill Coltrane]

How do you get the best schematic and how do you know it is indeed the best?

That depends in your criteria.


Some like audible artefacts, Some don't. Just pick your poison and design acordingly.

 

[dreamth]

you're offtopic!

 

[freebee]

I have always admired the Musical Fidelity products (not sure if they were all designed by Simon Quarry)

 

[jan.didden]

Peter Walker and everyone else involved in the design of the QUAD-405,
Peter Baxandall,
and if the question were not limited to solid state amplifiers: L. V. Viddeleer.

When it's about amplifiers in general rather than specifically audio amplifiers: also Ernst Nordholt, Han Huijsing, Frans Tol.

I second Viddeleer. Add Stan Curtis.

Jan

 

[jan.didden]

To design an audio amp, the designer must have highly trained ears for the sound of music, both for instrument sounds and expression. That is, he must be as chef cook rather than chemist to produce great tasting dishes. The great masters were the Japanese designers of 50's to 70's when the Japanese men after work were at tea houses to enjoy primarily HiFi music. The music should sound good if not better than the competitor, or else the tea house is loosing the customers. J. Hiraga is just a student of these great masters.

I see Marketing has done a great job there! ;-)

Jan

 

[xrk971]

I think that Hugh Dean (AKSA) of Aspen Amplifier is one of the best amp designers of recent years. Some really great sounding, creative designs that are about natural, non fatiguing sound with simple topologies that don’t use any unobtanium parts. I have built and listened to a lot of different amps but I keep coming back to his designs when I really want to enjoy my music collection. Both Class AB and Class A have similar foot-tapping smile-on-your-face dynamics, smooth sounding H2 dominant harmonic distortion with monotonically descending harmonic profiles, and a great soundstage and immediacy due to a mild use of global negative feedback, yet have the resolution and speed due to use of CFP topologies.

You can’t talk about amp designers and not mention Mile Slavkovic (ApexAudio). He is a prolific designer with the most viewed thread on all of DIYA. He must be doing something right! I also like the sound of his simpler MOSFET amps.

 

[Fonebones]

Whats about Matti Otala?

Who designed the Yamaha M2? Maybe not "the" best amp but I like it.
That days I fall for the look of it too. Well, there was not so much to look at but anyway.

 

[MarcelvdG]

some of the designers I haven't heard of

if ppl could put either their designs or company please, tks

Peter Walker and everyone else involved in the design of the QUAD-405: Acoustical Manufacturing Company, later QUAD Electroacoustics.

Peter Baxandall: first had a job not specifically related to audio, later became an independent audio consultant, worked for various British companies including Acoustical/QUAD.

If the question were not limited to solid state amplifiers, L. V. Viddeleer: worked for the Dutch post office in the 1950's and designed audio electronics in his spare time, published a most unusual design in the Radio Electronica magazine.

When it's about amplifiers in general rather than specifically audio amplifiers:
Ernst H. Nordholt: Delft University of Technology and Catena Microelectronics, started the research into systematic electronic design at the Delft University.

Johan H. Huijsing: op-amp professor at the Electronics Instrumentation Laboratory of the Delft University, was involved in the design of the NE5534 as far as I know. Well-known for his nested Miller compensation, although that is a simplified version of Cherry's nested differentiating loops.

Frans Tol: Electronics Instrumentation Laboratory of the Delft University, invented class (A)B bias loops together with Johan H. Huijsing to the best of my knowledge (or at least they published the oldest article I know of about class (A)B bias loops in 1976).

Edward M. Cherry: Australian professor who invented the nested differentiating loops compensation from which nested Miller was derived. First author of Amplifying devices and low-pass amplifier design, which inspired Nordholt.

 

[cowanaudio]

I'd like to add Stuart McClean to this list, designer of the original Australian Monitor power amplifiers. These amps were simple, easy to service amazingly reliable and performed brilliantly. I've used many of their amps in my home over the years.

I'm not sure who designed the amplifier in the Hitachi Mosfet application note, but they should also be mentioned. This circuit has been copied by so many designers it's not funny. Among others it's the basis for almost every Perreaux amp.

Also, where is Bruno Putzys in this list? His work on class D amps is definitely worth a mention.

 

[duncan2]

Still not found the designer of the Hitachi Application note but the --V-Mosfet was pioneered by Jun-ichi-Nishizawa in 1969 the praise taken by Hitachi of "inventing " the VMOS in the same year .


It does not take a whole lot of brain cells to link up Hitachi with Nishizawa (Japanese ) ----but if anybody knows better ??

 

[plasnu]

No respect to Dan D'Agostino here?
I have never heard his recent amps, but it seems like his amp is popular despite of crazy price.

 

[PMik]

Juan F. Velazquez should be honorable mentioned for his circuitry used in the VSP Labs TransMOS power amplifiers.., he did figure out and get the patent(s) for how to simplify and maximize the performance with Hitachi MOSFETs ..., Velazquez apparently never sold rights to his patent(s) since no one else did implement his invention(s)

 

[suresh]

There are many Legends who had opportunity to show their talent and shine. personally i own one of Hugh Dean's amplifier which will compete with any prolific designer . Hugh dean is a very intelligent , creative , innovative amp designer . i like very much his design philosophy like using least no of active device , low negative feedback , nested feedback , bootstrapped output stage , monotonically decreasing harmonic profile . he would have got world fame if he has worked with any high end brand.

 

[jorre2002]

Brian Gary Wachner

 

[H713]

Since we seem to have branched out just a little to include some op-amp guys, I think it is about time someone mentioned Bob Widlar.