Class D amps

Cipher,

You got it.

There are and many are quite good and worth consideration.

The Bel Canto ref1000m monoblocks I use are one good example. These are competitive soundwise with some of the best SS and tube amps I have heard and the combination of small size, weight and low power consumption along with bleeding edge power output and solid current delivery is hard to beat.

"Alot of owners of tube preamps don't like the tube/class D combo"

I have a tube pre-amp and like the combo.

The thing is, you have to pick a Class D amp that is designed to work with a tube pre-amp (ie higher input impedance). Same true for other SS amps in general.

For example stock IcePower Class D modules are 10K ohm input impedance unbalanced. Not great for a tube preamp. Older BelCanto Ref1000 falls into this category. Many lower cost Class D amps do as well.

Wyred 4 Sound and newer (and more costly) Bel Canto ref1000m using similar 10K ohm stock Icepower modules are designed to work with a tube pre-amp. Input impedance of Wyred is ~ 64K ohm I recall. BC ref1000m is 100K unbalanced and 200K balanced.

There is a ton of info on A'gon about Class D amps.

One of my favorite topics.

Yes, I recall the arc switching amps to be designed to work well with tube preamps. No surprise from a company like arc that is an icon for tube gear.