poll again - for those who voted yes

[mike c]

poll for those who voted yes here:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19296

does buying more expensive amps produce better sound?
e.g. Classe is better than Rotel
Rotel is better than commercial amps like behringer/crown

 

[highfihoney]

poll for those who voted yes here:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19296

does buying more expensive amps produce better sound?
e.g. Classe is better than Rotel
Rotel is better than commercial amps like behringer/crown

i answered yes in this thread & no in the other thread,the question is a double edge sword & is too broad for a decisive answer.

more expensive is not what makes one amp better over any other amp,there are many factors that affect the price & performance of an amp design.

it all depends on what a person is looking for in an amp & what level of performance they expect from that amp & im speaking of strictly 2 channel stereo & not home theater,at dbt testing levels differences are not easily heard by anybody(a meaningless test for 2 channel high performance rigs) but at reference or performance levels the differences between a behringer amp & either a mcintosh, krell or classe amp are easily heard,pro amplifiers are good for what they are designed for but they in no way compare to alot of high quality made home audio amps when setting up a rig for the best performance possible at all listening levels.

 

[mike c]

highfihoney, how much does a MC1201 cost?

 

[highfihoney]

highfihoney, how much does a MC1201 cost?

unless mcintosh has raised or lowered their prices recently a pair of mc 1201 monoblocks will cost $18,000 usd before tax.

 

[Rocky]

jesus.... thats soo much money. I don't think I could ever justify that

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

jesus.... thats soo much money. I don't think I could ever justify that

Just be happy you're not into luxury yachts.

 

[highfihoney]

jesus.... thats soo much money. I don't think I could ever justify that

your right,i could never justify buying them for MSRP but i fell into a deal on mine for less than $9,000 & it was too good a deal to pass up.

 

[rollinrocker]

I believe amps from companies such as rotel, parasound, outlaw(ati), and b&k
to be better values. They get you 80% performance for 40-50% of price.

 

[highfihoney]

I believe amps from companies such as rotel, parasound, outlaw(ati), and b&k
to be better values. They get you 80% performance for 40-50% of price.

80% performance at 50 % of the price is true,better value,that all depends on what you want an amp to do,if the cheaper amp isnt capable of giving the desired results then its not a better value.

 

[mike c]

thanks for the info highfihoney. I agree. for "amateurs" the mcintosh is way too expensive. like me, I aim for Rotel and maybe Bryston, when I DO get these two, I'll be aiming for Classe, etc. and then when I get those, I'll be aiming for McIntosh.

its all the same with all hobbies. To date, I have still spent more on my fish than I have on audio.

Same with cars, I used to aim for 1.6 litre 16 valve cars. then it was 2.0, then v6, now I aim for 2 door sportscars

during my college days, I'd say I cannot justify the cost of those 2 door sportscars

 

[mtrycrafts]

jesus.... thats soo much money. I don't think I could ever justify that

You think you couldn't justify it? How about these golden ears who couldn't differentiate the $15k pair against a $300 Yam???

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.audio.opinion/browse_frm/thread/664b8681ab141263/3fd91bcb6a1522a0?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rnum=1&prev=/groups?q=sunshine+stereo+yamaha+abx+nousaine&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=501fl6%24ac3%40oxy.rust.net&rnum=1#3fd91bcb6a1522a0

 

[mtrycrafts]

poll for those who voted yes here:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19296

does buying more expensive amps produce better sound?
e.g. Classe is better than Rotel
Rotel is better than commercial amps like behringer/crown

Not sure you have seen this about $15K amp and $300 one:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.audio.opinion/browse_frm/thread/664b8681ab141263/3fd91bcb6a1522a0?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rnum=1&prev=/groups?q=sunshine+stereo+yamaha+abx+nousaine&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=501fl6%24ac3%40oxy.rust.net&rnum=1#3fd91bcb6a1522a0

 

[highfihoney]

Not sure you have seen this about $15K amp and $300 one:

these dbt tests that you link to do not tell the whole story infact they are extremely biased,the testing takes place at a fixed volume (usually very low) & well below any wattage levels that would cause a noticable difference.

other factors that these dbt tests do not show is how any given amplifier actually performs all they show is what people heard at that given time,they do not show how any amplifier handles high power tone bursts or how much more distortion they actually produce when more wattage is drawn from them.

you could take a bose lifestyle amplifier & compare it against a bryston amp with both amps pushing 5 watts & 9 times out of 10 people couldnt tell the difference but go ahead & push the bose to NEAR BUT NOT OVER its limits then match that with the bryston & see what you get,a mess

i own amps from both price ranges in that dbt test & i run them in various rigs around the house & two things are for sure,number one being that if you set out with an agenda of proving that all amplifiers sound alike that is the result you will get,the second is that if you set out to see which amplifier will give you the best performance under ALL circumstances your findings will be much different.

 

[Rob Babcock]

The truth often angers those whom it does not convince.

 

[mulester7]

The truth often angers those whom it does not convince.

.....yes, it's a little irritating and obviously wasted time to try to reason with persons who apparently only read, and then try to be coyly secretive about any equipment owned present or past, Rob, not you, you know of whom I speak....I've heard definite and marked differences top-to-bottom, just recently, mainly in the +/- db variance top-to-bottom and the signal-noise ratio in the highs, with three different expensive quality slave amps using the same speakers, source, and pre-amp, AB'ing with one amp on the fronts and a different amp on the rears, leaning back and forth repeating the source over-and-over, and I firmly believe the quality of the pre-amp used had a good deal to do with the exposures....and by the way, if anyone doesn't believe I heard differences, or the pre-amp made a difference, who cares?....there have been many reports at this site concerning slave power and differences heard, and they are jumped on virtually every time being told it couldn't have happened....hey, along the same lines, I firmly believe not everyone claiming being abducted by aliens is looney-tunes....some, sure, maybe even most, but not ALL.....we're not alone, boys, haha.....

 

[majorloser]

The truth often angers those whom it does not convince.

"Macky" lovers are in a group all to themselves. It's a cult

Though neither are in my price range, I would go with Krell over Mac. I was never a fan of the blue analog meters. They remind me of stuff my father owned.

I'll stick with my cheap "low class" equipment.

 

[zumbo]

While not a honest answer (I havn't heard both), I answered NO. I would feel more comfortable if the question was an "apples to apples". I wouldn't choose a pro-amp.

 

[miklorsmith]

Amps make a big difference. I didn't answer the poll question because spending more money does not guarantee better results.

I find testing conditions to mask differences which otherwise seem obvious.

 

[highfihoney]

The truth often angers those whom it does not convince.

the truth is only the truth until it is used out of context to try & convince others of something then it becomes a falsehood.

 

[highfihoney]

I firmly believe not everyone claiming being abducted by aliens is looney-tunes....some, sure, maybe even most, but not ALL.....we're not alone, boys, haha.....

the people who are abducted by aliens didnt take the right precautions,if they had of wore these types of anti alied mind control devices they coulda saved them self an intrusive probing

i dare anybody to wear one of these puppies out in a thunder storm

sorry mule,i couldnt resist


http://www.stopabductions.com/

http://zapatopi.net/afdb/