Archimago announces the end of amplifier design

Audio Gear Talk
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@Archimago’s review of the Aiyima A08 Pro amplifier progresses into a discussion of whether there are any new things to discover in amplifier design, any new “giant-killer” products to come, and concludes:

No, there are no giants left to slay.

He continues with a challenge to readers:

If there are truly hi-fi amplifier “giants” out there, show us which ones and into what speakers. Let’s see if audiophiles can agree on the remarkable sound quality such giants supposedly can provide.

Bit of a muddled metaphor there: are they good giants, or things to be slayed? I guess the giants are expensive renowned amps whose performance is “slain” (matched or exceeded) by cheap mass-market devices like the TPA3255-based A08 Pro.

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All aspects of audio have been commoditized already in terms of audio quality. What’s left is just branding. Class D amps in particular are so good right now they can’t really be audibly improved anymore. I doubt however that audiophiles will accept that their hearing is limited. That would be equivalent to accepting that CD resolution is already good enough.

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