Can you make something better than it is?

[Neil McCauley]

Paul McGowan writes:

To enhance something means to intensify—exceed what we might find in a natural state. Which raises an interesting question. Is it actually better or merely different?

Let us be clear. Enhancement is qualitatively different than what we generally look for in equipment: moving closer to purity. Lower noise, better linearity, are all moves toward purity that do not claim to enhance. Instead, they do less harm.

Changing a digital audio cable to a lower noise version would qualify as a move towards greater purity. Its bettered performance is a result of inflicting less damage.

A tube buffer would qualify as an enhancement since it is additive. (Despite your possible opinion that it is merely colored).

One big question in this same vein concerns preamplifiers. Do they enhance or purify?

Continues at http://www.hifianswers.com/2017/10/c...er-than-it-is/

[sq225917]

Surely you can only add distortion, or add none. How one chooses to describe that difference is just marketing.

Sure you could add output drive capability or better impedance matching to the following power amp, but that falls under point one I would guess.