[neptune]

NuForce claims that their amplifiers has "Ultra-low distortion and noise", but when you look at their own measurements, it doesn't seem to be that low.

Ref9:
http://www.nuforce.com/plots_ref9.htm

Don't get me wrong, I find the NuForce products very interesting, and I will probably try them in my own system. And of course it's more important how then sound than how they measure, but still, distortion is never good.

[amplifierguru]

Hi Neptune,

I think FFT's showing the noise floor and identifying the harmonic components might prove more instructive in assessing the amplifier. The three plots of THD+N at different power levels vs frequency are similar to many many highly regarded ( and other) amplifiers, that vary greatly in perceived sound.

As appears to be the case, once THD is down to the 0.01% level it's more about composition of the THD than overall amount. 2HD is generally considered nice, while 3HD hardens the sound. Of course, once it's another order of magnitude lower (0.001%) it's structure doesn't matter, though such amplifiers have been judged as 'dry' by some.

Cheers,
Greg