Designing a preamp or amplifier comes down to a series of choices: single-ended or balanced? Tubes or solid-state? Class A for purity or Class D for efficiency?
Every choice shapes the final sound, and while technical merits matter, what really counts is how it all comes together.
There’s no perfect topology—only the right one for a given goal. A triode tube circuit will bloom with warmth and texture, but you can use it only with crazy efficient speakers. A high-bandwidth solid-state design can deliver stunning transparency, but it can also cut through you like a bright scalpel.
As a designer, one must work to blend topologies together to honor the music and work in your system.
In the end, every choice brings us closer—or takes us further—from the music. That’s the only measure that really matters.
