Class A or Class D solid-state amplifiers (modern designs)


Hey guys.

 

Class A is supposedly superior. Something to do with a conduction angle of 360 degrees...so the entire signal gets processed in one go without crossover distortion.

But in terms of sound quality (subjective enjoyment) is there a benefit to Class A? Can class D provide the same level of enjoyment?

 

The dealer I’m talking to says that really nice Class A amplifiers are designed for "reference quality" meaning completely true to the real life performance.

 

Let’s compare and contrast. Which one is technically better?

 

In other words, could you have equal technical performance and quality in a Class D amp?

 

- Jack.

jackhifiguy

Glad you're enjoying the sound of the amps that you manufacture and sell.

Until a few more of them are out in the wild in the hands of consumers, of course we won't be able to get even the beginning of something approaching an objective assessment.  And even then...

Lyngdorf anyone?      : )

@tunefuldude it is easy to make a cogent argument for them, providing that one abides the loss of “purity”… which is sort of tied to the remove of simple tone controls.

Certainly easier to get a good sound without going to heroic measures. (IMO)

@bigkidz, so what is your opinion of Mola Mola and Spec for example, if you are still waiting to hear the great Class D sound?

Sounds like I should dump the Boulder 3050s and go for a pair of Hypex monoblocks.