The first watt from an audio amplifier is the most important watt, and amplifiers whose distortion declines with lower power tend to sound better.

All other things being equal, a simpler circuit sounds better. So does an amplifier with little or no feedback.

Class A operation results in higher quality than the other classes, and is well suited to simple low power amplifiers, partly because it has lower overall distortion and partly because the distortion is "monotonic" where the distortion decreases with level.

It's easier to build high quality into a small amplifier than a big one, and people with sensitive speakers do not require or even want high power.

Many people prefer the sound of loudspeakers with powerful magnets, tightly machined gaps, finely wound voice coils, light cone materials, and wide bandwidth.

These are the requirements of sensitive drivers whose output approaches 100 dB at 1 watt and are expected to reproduce the full audio range. At their best, they have a particular dynamic quality, high detail, and musical live-ness that is often lacking in more ordinary speakers.

If you have an interest in this series of exotic amplifiers for high efficiency loudspeakers, then stay tuned…