ANyway, just my initial listening impressions. A level matched comparo review will follow.
thanx
-akhilesh

>How do THD distortion figures equate to a particular tonal quality >and how does that tonal quality influence the concept of "neutral" >sound.
Even order distortion makes the tone fatter and richer than a neutral tone...the instruments sounds fuller and ewarmer...guitarists love this, and so do listeners like me.
Odd order distortion makes the music sound thin and a little garbled.

>Since most recordings made in a studio have some kind of processing >installed, are they neccessarily nuetral?
You are right. Hence when comparing amps, we should use the same recording, to remove the effects of the recording. If it sounds richer & fuller on one amp versus another, it's the amp.

>SS amps by definition require huge amounts of negative feedback >which we know compromises the source signal by introducing phase >anomalie's, is that still neutral?
John, IMHO negative feedback in amps that are well engineered is inaudible. I fear it has been used as a marketing tool more than anything else. I say this after having heard amps with feedback and without. My favorite amps that I own are:
(i) A SET 45 with no feedback
(ii) An ASUSA SET el84 ap with feedback
(iii) The zen amp with no feedback
(iv) The ASL K-502 kit 11bm8 PP tube amp with negative feedback.

>Could these effects derive from impedance mis-matches rather than >circuit design
Yes John, they could. My speakers are SET friendly, so they really should be SS friendly. However, and i may be wrong on this, most speakers are not SET friendly but only SS friendly. And then therer are those that are just plain unfriendly.. ;-)

Hope this helps.
-akhilesh

I think we can work with these pieces on my end. The EAR uses 10db negative feedback, the rest all employ some type of NFB. If you examine the schematic of those tube amps you list even w/o obvious feedback there are loops inherent in the circuit I believe.
That is one aspect of amp configuration i cannot understand well. If your amp is cathode biased then there is a feedback loop through the bias cap. Do you have any info regarding that? The Carver sounds dry and bland through the Pi Theater 4's. No life not real musical.
The Luxman is a real ballsy amp but like all SS amps I have ever heard it sounds a little flat and two dimensional, although the class A SS amps are much more musical.
The Fisher is coloured but musical.
The Dyna ST-35 is very smooth and musical.
Same for the ST-70 except it has a slight mettalic tinge, although that may be the result of very high frequency oscillation.
The EAR is one of the best amps bar none but it tends to be less involving than some other good SE's.
Thats good so far my hands are getting tired, Thanks much for helping me out with this reviewing thing, J.R.( The chip amp is a great bargain but not for long term listening)

>When you state that your amps are SET freindly, what do you mean; >the output impedance is low?
My _speakers_ are SET friendly, meaning even an amp with a low damping factor like a SET can drive them. The speakers have fairly uniform impedances.
>If your amp is cathode biased then there is a feedback loop through >the bias cap
Cathode biasing is a method of biasing a tube where the bias is generated by the voltage drop across a resistor in the cathode. The grid is referred to ground through a resistor, and the current flow through the cathode resistor produces a positive cathode voltage with respect to the grid, which is effectively the same as making the grid negative with respect to the cathode.

I don't know enough about tube amp design to state if a cathode bias always results in NFB...i am inclined to state it does not. Also, based on the definition here, I am not sure what a bias cap is.

>like all SS amps I have ever heard it sounds a little flat and two >dimensional
This may be the result of the SET amps interactions with your speakers. Can you tell us what speakers you use?

I am not saying that a SET is bad. Obviously I love SETs. However, I think SETs add richness and dimensionality mainly thru audible distortion (which is fine with me.. i am not shooting for perfection, merely my own enjoyment.) It IS possible I think to achieve good sound with neutral speakers and a neutral SS amp as well. It will just cost a lot more (neutral speakers are very hard to build, and cost almost always much more than homebrews), and the sound will miss the richness that even order distortion can bring.

I am interested in your review of the Stoetkit! Looking forward to it.
-akhilesh

Wayne

I just wanted to say that your input to this forum has always been excellent and I've always appreciated your comments and respected your opinions. You definitely shouldn't feel intimidated 'cause your posts are always lucid and enjoyable. We're a bunch of buddies that share mutual respect. Seems the attitude is contageous, and that's good.

Wayne