Post by Westie on Apr 4, 2021 8:48:14 GMT
I often hear folk saying that they will only have Class A amps because they sound better and have a certain sound. To me it’s just people falling for marketing BS.
I say this based on experience of owning a few and hearing no common sonic attributes or advantages. They have ranged from the original KSA 50 which was warm, meaty and a bit soft, to the Sugden A21a which was a bit cool, crisp and light, to the Kelvin Labs monoblocks which were weak, thin, cold and sterile.
Even if we accept there might be some advantage to Class A operation, there is another issue that renders it pointless. As I understand it, many amps biased heavily into class A will not deviate into Class B anyway unless you are playing very loud, have demanding music or inefficient speakers. So where is the advantage of an amp not switching for its entire output over one which doesn’t switch in normal use?
In my experience, Class A is meaningless other than to act as a comfort blanket to the superiority of the purchaser’s ego. If your amp makes your music sound enjoyable then it’s a success, whatever technology it uses. If it doesn’t do this, it’s a fail, whatever labels it bears.
I say this based on experience of owning a few and hearing no common sonic attributes or advantages. They have ranged from the original KSA 50 which was warm, meaty and a bit soft, to the Sugden A21a which was a bit cool, crisp and light, to the Kelvin Labs monoblocks which were weak, thin, cold and sterile.
Even if we accept there might be some advantage to Class A operation, there is another issue that renders it pointless. As I understand it, many amps biased heavily into class A will not deviate into Class B anyway unless you are playing very loud, have demanding music or inefficient speakers. So where is the advantage of an amp not switching for its entire output over one which doesn’t switch in normal use?
In my experience, Class A is meaningless other than to act as a comfort blanket to the superiority of the purchaser’s ego. If your amp makes your music sound enjoyable then it’s a success, whatever technology it uses. If it doesn’t do this, it’s a fail, whatever labels it bears.
