Thank you very much, if I could ask you one more question, what's the difference between discrete amps and these types of amps that use chips?
Why do people say discrete sounds better despite measuring worse?
I'm definitely not knowledgeable enough to describe the differences in types of amp design. I am an audio technician, not an engineer. So I know enough to use the equipment, but I don't build the things.
And the reason someone might say something sounds better to them is because it probably does. We engineers actually intentionally add and manipulate very specific types of distortion to create certain musical effects that honestly make the music sound better. So depending on the amp, some of them might have a particular type of distortion at just the right level and in just the right frequency range that someone finds it enjoyable with the kind of music they listen to. That particular sound coloring may not work for all types of songs and recordings, but it might be just the right sound that someone wants in their system. Speakers and headphones also have their own distortion, and certain harmonics can sound better through some systems and worse through others due to the rate of decay of the driver, which can be seen in a waterfall graph, and resonances of the equipment or even the listening space. So all that factors into what we call synergy and preference.
But if you just want what is on the recording with no embellishment, you need to start with removing physical resonances and the rate of decay of the acoustic space as much as possible. Then you get the least distorting and flattest speakers and headphones you can buy. And then you get a low THD+N DAC and Amp.
And if the engineers and producers did their job, you will still get rich and pleasant harmonics in the music, because the engineer put them there.
But if the music itself isn't all that tonally rich, then your very linear and dry system will show you that the engineer should have done a better job.
For those who just want to enjoy and relax and not actually analyze the music, having a system that just adds a layer of tone onto everything and blurs any production issues can be extremely preferable.
The only downside is that perfectly recorded and produced music sounds better on a more dry and linear system that reveals everything the engineer did right.
But most music isn't perfectly made. It's a trade-off.
