Do amps make sub sound different

[joetama 5,000+ posts]

The biggest difference with tube amps is when they are clipping or coming really close to it and the distortion starts to rise. That is where the order of the harmonics come in. If kept below that point, where the distortion is extremely low, they sound different than solid state because of an insufficient damping factor. This sound can be simulated with a solid state amp by simply wiring a resistor in series with the speaker.
joetama-RF is a whole different ballgame. Skin effect comes into play. Cable capacitance is much more important. I do a lot of work in C-band and Ku-band comms and we get interference that is theoretically impossible all the time based entirely on antenna placement and orientation and not on frequency. Wierd cross mojinations happen all the time in my job and the "specialists" with the big brains assure me that what I'm complaining about is impossible until I show it to them, at which point they just scratch their heads.

I agree that RF is a different ball game. RF seems to be plagued by demons that don't like to follow the rules. Which can be a source of headaches when designing a large repeater system. Especially one that is portable and used in many different locations. But, some of the same principles can be applied to the audio world, but most of them can't. The basic point of my post earlier is simply that specs and measurements don't always mean everything. There are an infinite amount of factors that can affect everything from loudspeakers to CD Players.

I guess my point & is that if certain things are kept in check many amplifiers will sound the same. But, when those certain things aren't in check then who's to say a person can't tell a different between them? He/She might not be able to pick them out of a line up every time. But still.

The reason these threads are pointless is I can't hear or experience what you hear and experience and vise versa. There is no clear cut case of right and wrong. Whenever there is grey there is no true answer.

 

[Pl8er 5,000+ posts]

Watts @ a measured THD level does not tell you everything you need to know about the 'sonic footprint' that amplifier will create. We all know tube amps create even-order harmonic distortion, actually considered pleasing to many people's ears. Clearly these amplifiers affect the sound of the reproduction, yet this difference in sound would not show up in its watts/THD spec.

^^^^^^^ //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/clap.gif.178cba2c538c68e720c727fcb024b19c.gif

I'm not reading anymore of this thread. That says it all. A good amp will only add a little a great amp adds almost nothing. Each amp will usually add something, but it should be minor.