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A great article on Class D/switching amps

The latest edition of The Absolute Sound has, in my opinion, the best overall perspective and evaluation of the eight most regarded class D switching amps on the market today.

The article contains an explanation of the technology, an interview with a couple of the most important designers, the individual reviews and finally a round table discussion regarding these amps.

I believe any of you GON members who might be considering auditioning a class D switching amp would want to review this piece regarding their different sonic signatures.

I had the pleasure of listening to the Kharma MP150 which the panel picked as being on top of the "heap" compared to Audio Research 300.2,Channel Island Audio D-200, Nuforce Reference 9 Special Edition, Red Dragon Audio Leviathan Signature, Jeff Roland Design Group 201, Cary Audio Design A 306,and finally the Spectron Musician III.

Each amp had at least two different reviewers with different systems evaluate them and then compare their experiences. This was a well done piece and if you read it I believe you find it both educational and helpful to understand what these amps are all about.
teajay
nicksgem10s
98 posts
 
I got a chance to read the article and thought it was pretty well written. I wish I could have had the chance to hear all the amps in the article. I own a pair of Nuforce monos and like the price to performance. They do many things very well and for the money it is an easy choice to live with....until I go listen to my good friends VAC tube amp & Messenger preamp. The technology is interesting and hope it keeps evolving to bring exciting sound into more budgets. The gear that the class D amps are compared to in the TAS article is kind of ridiculous in my eyes. Why didn't they make more comparisons to some comparably priced solid state & tube amplifiers? I think what Robert Harley says about auditioning in your own system is spot on. I wish more manufacturers made this possible and somewhat practical without having to lose your shirt by buying new and selling used, or pay a 10 or 15% restocking fee.

I agree with Tvad about the Red Wine Audio Signature 30 amplifier that is battery powered being interesting. I am even more intrigued about Red Wine Audio's new Signature 70 monoblocks that are coming out next month. They are on my very short list.
coffeey's avatar
coffeey
363 posts
 
The article was a start at best
bobgates
535 posts
 
I read the article in the latest Absolute Sound and it would appear that the Class D technology is still evolving. Interesting that the reviewers either seemed to love them or hate them; one reviewer in particular seemed to characterize the class D amps as cold and sterile and didn't like the majority of the amps reviewed. For a new design there seem to be several of these class D amps on the used market already which goes to show that they are not everyone's cup of tea.
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Again I cannot imagine that Class D or ICE amps all sound alike. I have not had the opportunity to listen to them side-by-side, but only one, the Red Dragon, caused me to go back repeatedly to listen to it on the Audio Zen speakers.
macrojack
1,303 posts
 
Bobgates -
Let me respond to each of your comments separately.

I would agree that Class D technology is still evolving. Those things which are not still evolving have been abandoned.
To some reviewers, Class D will seem cold and sterile because it lacks the distortion components that they interpret as warmth.
As for the used market, please note that Class D is not so new. I bought my first pair of Rowland 201 about a year after they became available and that was 3 years ago. The fact that something is for sale on the used market doesn't "goes to show" anything other than the fact that people bought them new and decided to try something else. In fact, it might well mean that they liked Class D so much that they upgraded within the genre.
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