What the average person doesn’t need is another long list of confusing and difficult to interpret numbers. Basically what we are trying to say is the best way to rate an amplifier is to listen to it! – Nothing more. Some manufacturers like to think we need all these numbers to help listeners decide whether an amp is good or not, but our ears really do tell the story.

    One could connect tens of thousands of dollars of complex laboratory test equipment to an amplifier and only discover what has already been discovered many times over. Tube amplifiers have distortion!! Yup – distortion. But every amplifier that was ever made produces some distortion during sound reproduction – even those others – you know the solid state ones.

    Our policy on distortion both THD and IMD is this. The traditional distortion specifications are generated by machines listening to machines (complex test gear connected to amplifiers). We feel this bears little resemblance to a human listening experience. It is a known fact that different brands of amplifiers having identical specifications will sound completely different. Most audiophiles who have listened to so called distortion free solid state amplifiers with distortion specs rated below 0.005 % have found some of them to be quite undesirable.

    Instead of quoting reams of quite often meaningless numbers and figures, we personally audition our amplifiers on some of the finest tube amplifier speakers ever made – our Altec Lansing and JBL Studio Monitors. If the amplifier demonstrates the warmth, smoothness, clarity and transparency that in our opinion are the hallmarks of a good tube amp, we will offer that amplifier for sale.

    We therefore feel the best way of evaluating any tube amp is simply by listening to it, preferably with efficient high quality monitors designed for tube amps.

    We do however feel that in all fairness to our customers we do need to provide some honest ratings for power bandwidth and power output. If you buy a 25 watt amplifier you should get a 25 watt amplifier. All of our wattage ratings are in RMS watts just before clipping occurs, or DAP watts which is twice RMS. See "All About Amps" for more on DAP. The measured power bandwidth extends from well below 30Hz to well beyond 20kHz. Our full output power ratings are taken at below 30Hz because we feel this area of the audio spectrum is most difficult for any tube amplifier to reproduce. All actual power measurements for each amplifier are printed in the Owner's Manual.

    All amplifiers come wired for an 8 ohm speaker connection. Upon request, 4 or 16 ohm output impedances can be wired before shipping.

    Please Note: Ideal Innovations reserves the right to make design changes or improvements without the obligation to revise prior versions. All specifications are subject to change without notice.