So if post #74 is correct, we are all fools and all the SINAD numbers and tests results on this site are fool’s gold. Mr. Clark has proven that for a couple of dollars, you can make a $300 amp sound the same as a $30,000 one. He has the double blind test to prove it. If you already have an amp, you are one cap or one resistor away from the sound you are looking for. That is frankly good news. Amplifiers are a solved problem!! Stop the fighting and the testing, instead, try to figure out which component you need to start enjoying the sound of your dream. That, my friends, sounds reasonable and there should be no arguing here....Unless audiophiles are really crazy people just having fun
No, it means that you buy amps for their features, instead of buying them for their specs. One important feature is output power--all the tests that show no difference are (or should be) limited by the lowest-powered amp in the test. The highest-powered amp in the test will do things the smaller amp won't do.
Other features include cooling and reliability.
Another feature is current handling and the ability to remain stable with very low impedance speakers. Heat production, environmental impact, thermal efficiency, and acoustic noise may be important. Aesthetics, brand (and how we feel about the company), where it's made, etc., etc.
All these things can go into a buying decision even between amps that sound the same to us.
But distortion and noise within the linear operating envelope sure seem to be solved problems at this point, at least to the standards of audibility as measured using controlled testing.
Into unchallenging loads and driven by an active preamp, I'm not sure I could tell the difference between my vintage B&K amp and the Benchmark, despite that the latter has at least a 30 dB lower noise floor, except maybe for quiescent hiss. The Benchmark would need more from the preamp because it has lower gain, but that's about all I'd need to worry about.
Rick "who'd be interested in the Benchmark amp just because he likes Benchmark as a company, but it's too expensive" Denney