[FlameGrilled]

Ok.. a nice simple obseravtion over this :-

If the replacemet amp IC solves the problem, that's the most important bit dealt with.

If it is true, a lower-output rated amp, then i guess i'd live in hope that it's a better quality amp than originally fitted.

After all, a better more solid amp with a lower rating kicks crappy so-called 'hi output' stuff into the undergrowth and kicks the last breath of life out of the inferior 'boombox' rated amp.

'Boombox' and cheap (mega-cheap) hifi's have crappy amp sections typically that lose any 'semblece of linearity once you take them much over something like 1/2 their RMS output - take a good conservatively rated amp (the kind where people talk RMS only) of a lower 'peak' rating equiv, and it soon becomes clear that less is definately better in some cases.

Like my current D-NE1 proves, low rating aint a bad thing - mine isn't EU limited (mine was very early EU supply, and slipped in before the EU limit came to be enforced on the decks), but it's RMS limit is approx 1/3 of the iFP/iMP series - it makes ferk all real difference, and that's driving all the Senn & Technics 'proper' headphones and also Koss KTX Pro's (picked up a new set recently).

So let's not get too obsessed about 'low power' eh..??

I mean, we aint (for the most part) 'boombox' boys/girls/creature-spirits :P