I did not purchase the amp specifically for the tubes or headphone listening, but because of the relatively high wattage (1300mW) for a ready-made compact device.

Seriously? I have some little boards based on the PAMxxxx that are about 1/2 inch square and produce 1.5W per channel into 8 Ohms.

Bob

 

It's class D of course. If it falls into your shag carpet, you will never find it again. And by the time you spend the hours, buy a box, connectors, etc ... Better for me something pre-assembled and with resale value.

 

Why would a class A amplifier have complementary NPN/PNP power transistors. That sounds like a class AB or class B.

 

Why would a class A amplifier have complementary NPN/PNP power transistors. That sounds like a class AB or class B.

Son, keep up with the program.

 

Son, keep up with the program.

Ok... Dad? The "son" business went out long ago.

 

Decades for some if us.

Bob

 

Ok... Dad? The "son" business went out long ago.

The class A complementary NPN/PNP power transistors part of this thread was put to bed a while ago, Mr..

 

Decades for some if us.

Bob

Time does fly, I remember that old car like yesterday.

 

The class A complementary NPN/PNP power transistors part of this thread was put to bed a while ago, Mr..

Thank you for the respectful reply, ns...

 

Thank you for the respectful reply, ns...

Being polite. Respect is earned... Not yet...

 

The amount and type of distortion that is acceptable and proper depends very much on the music being played. And the good news is that in the sort of free part of the world where I live I am allowed by the government to listen to whatever music I choose. A small freedom compared to many others, but one that I appreciate. I have worked in establishments where the choice of stuff played over a paging system was enough to provoke considerable animosity on my part. So to each their own music.

 

Some people are tone deaf and do not know what is distortion and never listen to music.
They probably think RAP is music.
Isn't RAP a guy reading a book out loud with a drum beating in the background?

 

I have searched a number of reviews and "data sheets" for this amplifier. Technically they are all a rather vague. The closest reference I can to "class A" is "a class A tube amplifier with a transistor buffered output stage".
Does it really matter what the output configuration is as long as the sound is acceptable? The distortion is stated firmly as 0.1% which is quite reasonable for casual listening and the power consumption is not excessive for a mains driven device. It appears to be quite well made and looks quite attractive.
My personal advice is: If you like the sound, keep it. If you don't like it, return it for a refund. .

 

Some people are tone deaf and do not know what is distortion and never listen to music.
They probably think RAP is music.
Isn't RAP a guy reading a book out loud with a drum beating in the background?

Rythm
And
Poetry

That's why it's called RAP!

 

Rythm
And
Poetry

That's why it's called RAP!

It's the human condition, good become crap as time evolves.

Spoiler

 

Rythm
And
Poetry

That's why it's called RAP!

I guessing he knew that because he used all caps when he wrote it. He is also wonderfully sarcastic so his rhetorical question didn't need an answer - is was asked to emphasize his theory that rap isn't music.

 

Is RAP "music" produced, played or listened to in Europe? Or only in the southern USA?

 

Why would a class A amplifier have complementary NPN/PNP power transistors. That sounds like a class AB or class B.

No reason why it shouldn't. See the chapter in Doug Self's book about class A. His is just a standard class B amplifier with the bias increased.

 

I did not purchase the amp specifically for the tubes or headphone listening, but because of the relatively high wattage (1300mW) for a ready-made compact device.

Music today is engineered to make solid state CD and MP3 players sound better. I would not buy a tube hi-fi power amp unless I was into vintage LP's. IMO that would be the place to look for any differences between transistors and what the original recording was intended to convey.

If it can deliver 6V @15mA peak, then it isn't even close to 1.3W, more like 45mW for a sinewave, 90mW peak.

 

There's nothing magical about tubes.
It's all how they are designed into a circuit.
For example, I doubt that a McIntosh tube amp has a "tube sound".
I quite sure that a good McIntosh tube amp would be indistinguishable from a good solid-state amp in a blind A/B listening test (except for those with that proverbial "Golden Ear", of course).

I am amazed how almost any sound can be synthesized with modern electronics. I can play a number of instruments and what gets me most is that a sound card can put out a quality that is just as good. This implies that the sound is nothing more than a summation and a device capable of outputting any waveform could reproduce that sound exactly. So my question is can they build a sound card that sounds exactly like these revered tube amps?