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Re: Good Response Soundmind.

>> The truth is that ALL distortion degrades the sound.
> And I would suggest that you don't understand my statement

Can you please explain since it seems both unambiguous and incorrect and was not really addressed in your reply. It is incorrect because if the distortion is too small to be audible then the perception of the sound is not degraded.

> because the answer is obvious if you think about it. 1) It is an
> assumption on your part that valve amps are "heavily distorting"
> compared to SS amps.

You are being dishonest. I asked: "How do you square this with significant numbers of people prefering the sound of a heavily distorting valve amplifiers to an inaudibly distorting solid state amplifier?" The assumption here is that heavily distorting valve amplifiers exist (e.g. SET amplifiers) and people exist who prefer their sound to undistorting solid state amplifiers (e.g. those who have paid a lot of money for SET amplifiers). Do you deny this?

> 2)It is an assumption on your part that SS amps are inaudibly
> distorting.

I asked: "How do you square this with significant numbers of people prefering the sound of a heavily distorting valve amplifiers to an inaudibly distorting solid state amplifier?" The assumption here is that inaudibly distorting solid state amplifiers exist in significant numbers but not that all solid state amplifiers are inaudibly distorting which is obviously nonsense. Do you deny this?

> Not many people even here in the PHP would agree with this statement

I would hope not since it would appear to be wrong although it could stand a bit of clarification as to whether the words you are putting in my mouth refer to all solid state amplifiers under all conditions or competently designed ones operating under conditions which allow inaudible levels of distortion (and which you, presumably, dispute are inaudible).

> One argument is that while both are distorting and it is audible
> that one is more audibly damaging to the sound than the other. Clear
> enough for you?

It could stand some clarification. It would appear to follow from this that you are stating that a competently designed solid state amplifier operating well away from clipping and into a relative benign load so that it can maintain inaudile levels of distortion is audibly damaging the sound? If so, how?

Why if the sound is degraded by low levels of distortion do all amplifiers, whether valve or solid state, that achieve these low levels of distortion sound indistinguishable from each other? That is, why are they all degrading the sound in the same way?

Or do you perhaps believe that all levels of distortion in all amplifiers are audible?

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