azryan:

I can see where you are coming from, and when considered on a global context, you are absolutely right. The human race is not exactly "ready for prime time" when it comes to getting beyond biases, and stating things as they really are. Those kinds of bias-influenced statements are lies, pure and simple.

Then there are opinions. Again you are right that far too many opinions are based on incomplete understanding of the underlying issues involved. Then, there are some opinions that are based on solid knowledge of the issues. Those are valid, "agree to disagree" types of disagreements.

For instance, I have very little knowledge beyond what I've read on the issue of class "D" amps. I followed the Tact amplifier story which I first saw when I was in Europe several years ago. The idea seems intriguing, especially if the signal chain is kept all-digital up to and including the power amp. Personally, I am not ready to chuck linear amp technology, and especially tube amp technology (given my horn speakers, because I need "rich" class "A" and "A/B" output stages) as long as we are producing sound by attaching coils of wire to paper (or whatever material) cones and wiggling them in a magnetic field in order to produce sound. I think we are in need of a new, basic process to reproduce sound that does not involve wiggling something (electrostatic speaker, ribbon speaker, dynamic speaker, planar speaker, etc) in the air to produce sound waves. That is just Sooo 1922 There are technologies out there that produce sound by means of plasma that have been around for decades, but they are not practical at the moment. I wish I could invent a new way to produce sound - I could be rich If ever there is such a sound reproducer developed, power amplifiers as such will become a moot point, decending into the tar pit of dead technologies.

My pet peeve is the snake-oil-clap-trap that is dispensed by the marketing departments of some audio and video equipment manufacturers regarding their 'technologies". Some of this is clearly bull****, and I've said so more times than I care to think of. It serves nothing more than to mislead consumers, many of whom believe this stuff. Then there are some magazines that suck this mis-information up, and judge such things as audio performance as if they were discerning the difference between exotic and rare wines. Forgive my rant.

In my opinion, and with the caviat that I do not personally know Charlie, I find it hard to believe that he would waste your's and everybody's time by intentionally lying about amplifiers, or anything for that matter. There are obviously reasons for his stance on the issues in this thread, but I doubt that intentionally lying is one of them.

Anyway, you obviously have a great amp that works very well in your system, and I'm certain that that is no lie. I'm keeping my eye on all the various technologies that develop, and adopting the ones that look like they can enhance my enjoyment of music and movies.

Have a Merry Christmas!

[This message has been edited by soundhound (edited December 20, 2002).]