Euphonic Mechanisms in Amplifiers

OK, good to know because I don't know how to simulate it, and it would be a handy thing to do. Can you demonstrate the filter shift with changing amplier impedance? What software are you using?
Attached is the response of the MG1.6 crossover with source resistances of 0, 0.5, and 1 ohm. Blue=speaker input, green=woofer section, red=tweeter section.

I wrote the software that generated these plots. Spice can also do that.
Ed
 

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I can't speak well to the $4K Class-D amps, I've heard them but don't remember them. The two types that I distinctly remember are Tripath and Icepower, because I spent so much time with them. To me they are more pleasant than most A-B solid state, less artificial. The Icepower very strong and neutral, the Tripath somehow "agreeable" or "pleasing". There has to be some flavor there, because I remember walking down the hall at RMAF one year and hearing music coming out of a room and immediately recognized it as familiar, then as Tripath. I was right. But I don't think I could do that trick today. I sold a fair number of Tripath based amps to people that owned SET amps, and they often liked the Tripath as much or better, so perhaps there was a similar feel to them.
That original Tripath must have astounded many 300B SET owners, though as you mentioned in this thread the Class T chip variations since the TA2020 and Tripathi Company's demise didn't sound as sweet, at least to your ears.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...s-t-outdated-performance-or-not.349002/page-2
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...s-t-outdated-performance-or-not.349002/page-5
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...s-t-outdated-performance-or-not.349002/page-5
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...s-t-outdated-performance-or-not.349002/page-8

I've never heard any, of course, and wouldn't want to get stuck with a variant that would prove less pleasing.

Meanwhile , could you recommend/suggest a few make/model Class A solid-state amps which sounded as good or much better?
 
I added the resistors in series with the amplifier's output.

The MG1.6 was voiced with a slightly recessed midrange. I found that small series resistors improved the speaker's coherency. The sound became closer to a full-range driver. Too much resistance made the speaker sound like it was playing underwater. ;)
Ed
 
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Being a waster of money I've had a fair share of amplifiers over the years. One amp 30+ years ago was Dave Belles amp rated at 70wpc class A whch gave a dark background to the sonic picture. Dave re-made it with new drivers- outputs and class AB. It sounded much different - "brighter" - very good overall but "different". (I used MG I
IMP at that time so the speakers were the same and the source usually turntable.) I do remember some pretty smooth sounds with Bruce Moore M60's (p-p KT88) and a Magic Slim LP (can't remember the speakers.)

What about the common Chinese TPA3116 and TPA3255 - how are their sound quality perceived compared to run of the mill solid state AB?

Why do amplifiers and preamplifers differ in "focus"?

Oh - on Carver's 1 ohm resistor, I've tired a filament transformer with low Z winding between a solid state amp and the speaker and a 1K pot on the 120v winding to approximate what I think is Decware's "Gizmo" . That was fun as damping - etc could be varied on the run and not hurt anything. (whats a practical transformer for that application?)
 
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The fundamental value of a good scientific theory is determined by the extent it can be reliably be used to predict the future.

In the case of theories about HD and amplifier sound, listening to an amplifier and looking at an FFT, then producing an explanation as to causality is flawed.

If HD could predict the sound of an amplifier before anyone listens to it, then the prediction could be tested for causality.

Otherwise, what you are showing is correlation, not causation. To confuse correlation with causation is a fundamental error.

In the case of audio equipment and HD analysis, IIUC HD is a rather weak predictor of SQ. When HD is very bad then it has better predictive value that the sound won't be liked, but when HD is at more normal levels then its predictive power is significantly less reliable.

To frame the problem in another way, Dr. Earl Geddes wrote:
"The bottom line here is that we know so little about how humans perceive the sound quality of an audio system, and in particular the loudspeaker, that one should question almost everything that we think we know about measuring it. From what we have found most of what is being done in this regard is naive.

Very tragic about the death of the Tripathi TA2020 chip. https://www.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/pdf/87302/TRIPATH/TA2020-020.html and as discussed here. https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/is-tripath-class-t-outdated-performance-or-not.349002/

Worse is that similar chips mentioned here, which might even measure and sounded even better, are apparently also permanently out of production.

Looking to compare these chip amps to proven pre-built amps on the higher end audiophile market. But as I also want a lower power amp that measures as well as sounds great, that pretty much limits things to solid state amps. I'd love to know how those chip amps would sound compared those like this. https://www.stereophile.com/content/benchmark-media-systems-ahb2-power-amplifier-measurements and https://www.stereophile.com/content/nad-c-298-power-amplifier-measurements

How might they all have sounded like above 70Hz at 8 ohms over my ~94 db speakers, which would never more than 12 wpc, if that much?

Perhaps the right low power, low distortion solid state Class A amp? Assuming I could find one to properly match my speakers, they'd no doubt make equally good space heaters, not that we're likely to have many more cold winters in my region.
 
The vast majority overlook clarity, cleanliness as another important basis for "euphony"-)
Clarity, cleaniness, transparency, air of tube amps are traditionally attributed to added distortions, but wrongly interpreted. Anything adds distortions. The question is, how they change with the signal level. If they go from zero distortions to slow increase slowly widening the spectrum, they mimic distortions that our own hearing adds, and that it ignores. With such profile we as if hear absolutely clean sound, but as if more dynamic, subjectively louder than without such a profile. The more such profile, i.e. dependence of the spectrum of distortions on the signal level, differs from the distortion profile of the mechanical media including our eardrums, the more it sounds distorted.
When the sound pressure is not enough for the distortion profile, it sounds as an effect box amps used by audiophiles who collect special recordings with loud solo on soft background of few other instruments. They avoid recordings that show awful intermodulation of their amps.
You can not expect "euphony" from just adding a second order error on any sound level. You get what you deserve, i.e. intermodulation.
The Devil is dynamic.
 
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At the same time, could the attraction also be largely based on the fact that single-ended tube and solid state amps must all be Class A biased (which otherwise would produce waveform clipping)-and that, perhaps also due little need for negative feedback, might thereby produce a similarly pleasing “warm” sound?
There is a specific "audiophile" sound that goes well with "audiophile" music. That lifeless elevator stuff. You can max out on the soft elevator feeling with tube amps using mediocre output transformers with very limited frequency responses and vintage paper in oil coupling caps with insane dissipation factors.
 
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