What is slew rate? (1 Viewer)

[Kyle_Y]

In my search for an amp, I've noticed that many companies list their products' slew rates. I believe the slew rate is listed in volts/microsecond(please correct me if I'm wrong). Does anyone know if this is at all related to anything that would affect sonic performance? I noticed that Parasounds such as the 855A and 1205A and 1000A have a slew rate of about 120-130 while Anthem and B&K amps have a much lower slew rate, like 20-30. Is a lower or higher slew rate better and is slew rate a big factor?

 

[Eric T]

Higher slew rate it better. Since you already noticed that the units are V/ms, you may have guessed that it indicates how fast your amp can change its voltage output. In other words, respond to transients.
As for whether slew rate is a big factor, I can't tell you. I've never done any critical listening where that was the only thing that changed. But theoretically, it's a good thing