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Class A, A/B vs Class D amp Soundstage

Good evening. 
i just upgraded my Cambridge 850R Class A/B to Cambridge EVO 150 Class D with integrated streamer. I use B&W Diamond II with good cables and interconnects. So, there isn’t really a weak link in my system to be uncovered or exposed when going to a. Class D amp. 
There actually is nothing I changed other than the amps

I lost all front to back soundstage. I lost 50% of my right to left soundstage (speaker position has not changed at all and is 6 ft from the back wall. 
I stream hi-res from Qobuz.  The mid-range sounds a tad bit muffled. The base drivers distort and lower top power than my other amp which remained tight in the base even at ear hurting volume. 
 

The only and I mean only thing I did was change amps. So, I am wondering, does going from a class a/b to a class d amp cause a significant decrease in soundstage?  So far, whatever it is, I don’t like it at all, not one kilo-bit

geworthomd
lanx0003
1,221 posts
 

Op, it is possible that the damping factor on the new Hypex Ncore-based class D amp is too high, resulting in extremely tight bass control and an overall strong speaker grip.

The Evo 150 does not report either its output impedance or damping factor, but a typical Hypex Ncore-based amp has an output impedance of approximately 0.0013 ohms. Additionally, the Bowers & Wilkins 803 has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. This would result in a damping factor of 8 / 0.0013 > 6,000, which could contribute to a thinner-sounding presentation in a solid-state setup.

I recalled some Hegel amp has similar issue due to high DF until they specifically address it in H190 (if my memory serves me well).

jetter
3,122 posts
 

Hope it does work out.  It does sound like you may have received a defective unit.

hifiguy42
330 posts
 

I came here to say what @jetter did.  Many class D amps perform incredibly well, but there is also always the chance that synergy just isn't "there". 

tomcarr
1,698 posts
 

Hope you get things sorted out. I have been very happy with my class D PS Audio M1200 monoblocks. No complaints about soundstage. 

big_greg
6,728 posts
 

What you describe is not a characteristic of the good Class D amps I've owned.  I'm currently using PS Audio M1200 monoblocks and they are fantastic.  Of course those are 3 times the cost of your integrated amp. 

Cheap Class D devices may sound cheap.  You've compared to a number of other devices and they all sounded better.  That's not an inherent issue in Class D, it's an issue with that specific device. Is it too late to return it or replace it to see if the replacement unit is any better? If not, return or dump it and move on.

I had a similar Class D integrated from another manufacturer sometime ago and it lacked body and clarity.  You may have bought a lemon. 

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