Low distortion numbers don’t guarantee great sound.
I’ve met engineers and audiophiles who obsess over vanishingly small distortion figures—0.001% THD or better. On paper, that’s impressive and we work towards achieving those as well. But what matters just as much, if not more, is how that low distortion is achieved. Two amplifiers can share identical measurements yet sound dramatically different because of the design choices behind those numbers.
The PMG Series is a prime example of this: low distortion and noise but not at the expense of sonics. In fact, quite the opposite.
For example, heavy negative feedback can lower distortion but also strip away life and dynamics if misapplied. A simpler circuit with modest distortion might preserve musical flow better.
The types of devices used—JFETs versus BJTs, tubes versus solid-state—imparts character too, even when specs look similar.
Listening is the final arbiter. Measurements are tools, not verdicts. They help diagnose problems and confirm design goals, but they can’t capture everything about the listening experience. Our ears detect subtleties—spatial cues, microdynamics, tonal texture—that resist easy quantification.
Chasing numbers alone leads to sterile sound.
Chasing experience leads to music.
