When I look at my HiFi system the first thing I see is the loudspeakers. The second thing I see is the power amps that turn the small audio signals from sources and preamps into powerful versions of themselves.
For some mysterious reason we lean towards ignoring those powerful amplifiers—as if they were merely functional blocks converting the tiny signals we worked so hard at perfecting into the music we so treasure.
It's not only power amps that we tend to ignore.
On those rare occasions when I am required to leave my electric Tesla and get behind the wheel of a slow, gasoline powered vehicle, I am instantly reminded of the importance of the engine.
We pay close attention to those items we interact with—the steering wheel and driver's seat—while often ignoring that mysterious functional block under the car's hood that moves the vehicle forward.
That is, until we hear the difference between the functional OK and the OMG! moment of comparison.
Amps and engines. They are easy to ignore until you actually do an AB.
Maybe it's time to test this theory out in your own system?
