Anthem STR & 1% THD

[mcdonalk]

I am very intrigued by the STR Integrated Amplifier (mostly due to ARC) and even was close to purchasing, but I am given pause by the power amplifier output THD specification. Power for the full audio bandwidth is rated at 1% THD. I haven't seen a THD specification this high in decades (except for some class D devices), and it is considerably higher than the amplifier that I currently use and bought new 25 years ago. Additional specifications for the STR at specific frequencies indicate considerably better THD performance, but in those cases, it is for 100W output, not 200W, the latter being the advertised power output. The Stereophile review to which Anthem links on their web page indicates measurements THD well below 1% with their single frequency tests at over 200W, so I don't understand why Anthem's published THD specification for the STR is as high as it is. Can you explain why a 1% THD is specified if the unit achieves better?

 

[uwotm8]

They have actually rated "normal" THD @100W in specs, so W200-W400-W550 seems to be a clipping border. I don't see a problem here. It's just fairness lol (and do you really going to use it continiously at max power?).

 

[Alexanderc]

It is usual practice for manufacturers to rate amplifier power into 1% distortion. Amir does not do that in his reviews here, but most marketing departments and magazines appear to.

Edit: the following is a line from Stereophile’s review of the Benchmark AHB2 amplifier:
“We define clipping as being when the THD+noise percentage in an amplifier's output reaches 1%.”
They say this in the measurements sections of all their amp measurements.
(Link for reference: https://www.stereophile.com/content/benchmark-media-systems-ahb2-power-amplifier-measurements)