How do AMPS improve the sound quality?

Tommy B · 5 Apr 2006 at 09:54

So I'm looking through a Hi-Fi website, checking out various bits and bobs for the setup discussed in my other thread and I notice a NAD32BEE amp. It has all these "What Hi-Fi" award stickers with 5 stars everywhere and a small review stating that the sound quality is amazing.

My amp is a 15 year old Kenwood job, and IMO the quality is very good. What exactly would buying the NAD improve? Signal to noise ratio? Surely it can't make the sound sound better - that's what speakers do?

Cheers

(PS. If I opt for buying a bigger TV I won't be able to afford the massive upgrade on my Hi-Fi I've been asking about in other threads; and so if it's beneficial, I'll get a new amp)

daz · 5 Apr 2006 at 12:17

An integrated amplifier contains two seperate stages - a pre-amp stage, and a power amp stage. The power amp stage deals with the actual amplification of the signal, whereas the pre-amp stage does everything else. Despite being solid state devices, an amplifier contains many variables - you have the power supply, the various components used in the manufacturer and you have the actual design itself. The power supply may or may not be shield from the rest of the components, but if it's sufficiently large enough, the transformer can induce a current in nearby wires and circuitry, which appears as noise. Capacitors used in smoother circuits can also be of higher quality, and may perform better than others. You also have the various interconnecting circuitry which may be better than others...

fish99 · 5 Apr 2006 at 12:21

Tommy B said:
My amp is a 15 year old Kenwood job, and IMO the quality is very good.

Why the desperate need to replace it then?

Tommy B · 5 Apr 2006 at 13:02

Thanks for the info Daz.

There is no need to replace it, although I could really do with some features like a remote control, and surely Amps have come a long way in the last 15 years. I wish there was a way to tell exactly how old my amp is. It's a Kenwood KA-550.