Is it just me, or is there a distinct sour grapey aroma to this thread? 
Cannot really see the reason. Nice parts + nice layout + knowing what you're doing usually work with valve amps. This one appears quite excellent.
EDIT: had a look inside some of their other amps and as a consequence retract the above. Built to a price is the kindest way i can put it.
Cannot really see the reason. Nice parts + nice layout + knowing what you're doing usually work with valve amps. This one appears quite excellent.
EDIT: had a look inside some of their other amps and as a consequence retract the above. Built to a price is the kindest way i can put it.
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None of the many amplifiers I built ever sounded 'musical', altho sometimes the PTs hummed a bit. Sometimes there was smoke too. The speaker made 'musical' sounds especially if the source was the Rolling Stones or Lead Zepplin.
I liked that part a lot. And still do, pedals & all! Roll out the fireworks!
I liked that part a lot. And still do, pedals & all! Roll out the fireworks!
Well to you it seems to mean distortion, but why?
Aren't there a lot of other reasons an amp might sound "Musical"? Low distortion, low noise, strong power supply, low output impedance, wide bandwidth. Attributes that don't get in the way of the music but are faithful to it.
And aren't there reasons that an amp might not sound "Musical"? Large IM distortions, lack of bass, noise, strong high order distortions, weak power supply, etc.
For example, I find the Icepower blocks to be very musical because they are clean and neutral, they don't get in the way of the music or impose a sonic fingerprint.
I see two different approaches (instead of saying "opposing camps") one is what Pano just articulated; "very musical because they are clean and neutral, they don't get in the way of the music or impose a sonic fingerprint".
The other is everything there is has a sonic fingerprint and you juggle your sonic fingerprints like a big Taguchi factor experiment to arrive at a sound your ears like.
The second approach is the preferred one those marketing audio components and accessories would have you believe is the "right" way to go - for obvious reasons.
It's also a design approach / methodology, such as mixing different resistor composition types to achieve a sound that "matches" what the ear wants to hear as an audible truth. Hopefully the designer's ear is the same or similar enough to everyone else's -
The other is everything there is has a sonic fingerprint and you juggle your sonic fingerprints like a big Taguchi factor experiment to arrive at a sound your ears like.
The second approach is the preferred one those marketing audio components and accessories would have you believe is the "right" way to go - for obvious reasons.
It's also a design approach / methodology, such as mixing different resistor composition types to achieve a sound that "matches" what the ear wants to hear as an audible truth. Hopefully the designer's ear is the same or similar enough to everyone else's -
I believe the reasons are too complex to fit into a simple definition. Especially if we have to rely on musically unimportant characteristics as harmonic distortion.
A subjective criteria for musicality which works perfectly for me is for an amp which makes the highest number of recordings from genres i like sound engaging.
Would a perfectly neutral and transparent amp suffice? I honestly don't know. Perhaps i prefer an amp which compensates for some of the recordings flaws.
Curiously, none of the amps i enjoy can play convincingly neither Stones, nor Led zep.
1. A preamp that has 2nd harmonic distortion that is connected to a power amp that also has 2nd harmonic distortion will:
Either Increase the final 2nd harmonic distortion (two 2nd Harm. distortions in-phase)
Or Decrease the final 2nd harmonic distortion (two 2nd Harm. distortions out-of-phase).
2. A preamp that has 2nd harmonic distortion that is connected to a power amp that has absolutely no 2nd harmonic distortion that connects to a loudspeaker will:
Either Increase the final 2nd harmonic distortion (two 2nd Harm. distortions in-phase).
Or Decrease the final 2nd harmonic distortion (two 2nd Harm. distortions out-of-phase).
Surprise, Loudspeakers have 2nd harmonic distortion too. Right?
If a Hi Fi system is like an Onion, how many layers are there?
If a Guitar, Amp, and Speaker are like an Onion, how many layers are there?
How about your ears, and what do you want to hear?
Either Increase the final 2nd harmonic distortion (two 2nd Harm. distortions in-phase)
Or Decrease the final 2nd harmonic distortion (two 2nd Harm. distortions out-of-phase).
2. A preamp that has 2nd harmonic distortion that is connected to a power amp that has absolutely no 2nd harmonic distortion that connects to a loudspeaker will:
Either Increase the final 2nd harmonic distortion (two 2nd Harm. distortions in-phase).
Or Decrease the final 2nd harmonic distortion (two 2nd Harm. distortions out-of-phase).
Surprise, Loudspeakers have 2nd harmonic distortion too. Right?
If a Hi Fi system is like an Onion, how many layers are there?
If a Guitar, Amp, and Speaker are like an Onion, how many layers are there?
How about your ears, and what do you want to hear?
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If that's what you are calling them, then you have answered your own question - right?
But is that what everyone is calling them?
For God´s sake, this is too religious -faith based to ignore.
WHICH "recording flaws" can be compensated by adding 2% (or more) distortion
HOW would recording flaws be compensated?
By WHICH mechanism?
Please elaborate.
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For those that do, it is not something that can be repaired by altering the driving signal. That problem is acoustic in nature.
The crux of it is that when you add non-linear distortion you add both harmonic distortion and intermodulation distortion. It is impossible to generate harmonic distortion without also generating the same amplitude intermodulation distortion in an analogue system.
Harmonic distortion is widely accepted to be euphonic as harmonic tones are just the same note increased by a number of octaves. This is the reason why two types of acoustic guitars sound different when playing the same note - the differing magnitudes of harmonic tones produced change the 'timbre'.
Intermodulation distortion produces additional tones which do not correspond to a note on the musical scale when two different musical notes are played together. These tones are generally unpleasant however in small amounts may be desirable. When you play a chord on a guitar with the amplifier gain wound up you get intermodulation distortion between the notes which make up the chord, leading to a grungy sound which may be considered desirable.
The problem with adding non-linear distortion to a finished recording instead of each instrument (or each note) in isolation is that now you're adding intermodulation distortion between every note of every instrument playing. This tends to add too much grunge and sounds unpleasant. The more instruments playing at once the worse it gets and your speakers start sounding like a cheap radio or tv. That is why audiophiles (audiophools?) tend to regard recordings which have relatively few instruments playing at once as being higher quality - because when such recordings are played on a highly non-linear system, relatively little intermodulation distortion is produced, so they are the most pleasant recordings to listen to on their system.
It is fun to play with (intentionally) non-linear components on occasion, but aiming for the lowest distortion possible will be your best bet at producing a system which gives consistent results.
Harmonic distortion is widely accepted to be euphonic as harmonic tones are just the same note increased by a number of octaves. This is the reason why two types of acoustic guitars sound different when playing the same note - the differing magnitudes of harmonic tones produced change the 'timbre'.
Intermodulation distortion produces additional tones which do not correspond to a note on the musical scale when two different musical notes are played together. These tones are generally unpleasant however in small amounts may be desirable. When you play a chord on a guitar with the amplifier gain wound up you get intermodulation distortion between the notes which make up the chord, leading to a grungy sound which may be considered desirable.
The problem with adding non-linear distortion to a finished recording instead of each instrument (or each note) in isolation is that now you're adding intermodulation distortion between every note of every instrument playing. This tends to add too much grunge and sounds unpleasant. The more instruments playing at once the worse it gets and your speakers start sounding like a cheap radio or tv. That is why audiophiles (audiophools?) tend to regard recordings which have relatively few instruments playing at once as being higher quality - because when such recordings are played on a highly non-linear system, relatively little intermodulation distortion is produced, so they are the most pleasant recordings to listen to on their system.
It is fun to play with (intentionally) non-linear components on occasion, but aiming for the lowest distortion possible will be your best bet at producing a system which gives consistent results.
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As my system has improved I've found poorer recordings more listenable, not less. I'm referring mainly to older recordings and their flaws not necessarily ones that have been poorly recorded/mixed etc
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I had a lot of CDs from the 80's and 90's that went in the charity bag after getting a decent system set up. I quickly realized that the better system allowed me to hear the defects of poorly recorded music - something you don't hear on an old transistor radio for example with it's limited bandwidth and high noise.
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