Sorry for the double post but the laptop crashed just as I was posting this.
Anyway, regarding amps/speakers and distortion. The only way you can amplify and reproduce an audio signal without distortion is to have a perfectly linear system. Any non-linear component will create distortion and the more non-linear the greater the distortion.
As of this date, there are no amps/speaker systems on the market that are completely linear although they have come damned close and more than likely the distortion is below what a real human can detect. Some who believe in gas filled cables or gold escutcheon screws will claim they can hear it but it is highly unlikely.
Even in the high end systems, when you push up the volume level you start clipping (a very bad non-linear condition) and yuck starts to happen.
Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels refused to go on after they heard us. So, they rented our speakers for the night.
Nobody could hold a candle to us for loudness. Best part, we could sing.