1 Is there such a thing as a valve amp producing more than 50w (and using output transformers) which sounds natural and musical?
2 I recently discovered that many CD players with a valve output stage reverse absolute phase.
This means one should reverse phase to the speakers for CD use and return it for Vinyl use!
(If in doubt check with a CD test disc.)
The manufacturers keep this card close to their chests. I suppose it happens because a CD player is designed phase coherent from the outset, then a valve output board is added and phase is reversed.
Balanced outputs solve the issue, therefore balanced outputs are `more betterer`…
3 Why are spade connections so cynical in design? One make of spade doesn`t mate with another make of terminal post width-wise. Fork lengths vary and can cause shorts on some amps if applied carelessly. Stiff cables usually cause most spades to loosen however tightly they are applied.
Thank God banana plugs allow less scope for manufacturers to mess about !