Class D is just Dandy!


I thought it was time we had a pro- Class D thread. There's plenty of threads about comparisons, or detractors of Class D.

That's fine, you don't have to like Class D amps, and if you don't please go participate on one of those threads.

For those of us who are very happy and excited about having musical, capable amps that we can afford to keep on 24/7 and don't require large spaces to put them in, this thread is for you.

Please share your experiences with class D amps!
erik_squires
+1 atmosphere
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Tim
I just replaced a Schiit Vidar with a Parasound Zonemaster 2305 and find it a great addition to my system (and I really like the Vidar!).

I can’t speak to the technology points being raised however for myself Class D gives me a level of performance that I could never afford in a Class A, A/B amp.


Interesting.  I would only offer the following on that.  The Vidar measures better in many of the specs like crosstalk and frequency range.  It also costs about half of the Parasound 2350(I don't think there is a 2305, you must mean the 2350).  

I suspect the reason you like it over the Vidar is because it is giving you 3 x the wpc.  You could get 400 wpc if you had 2 Vidars, and ran them in mono, for roughly the same cost as the 2350.  Different strokes for different folks...
Nice thread Erik.
I bought the ATI NC528 class D amp to replace an ATI 6012.
Needed more power for the new woofers in my Linkwitz Lab Orion speakers. The Orions need 8 channels of amp. One for each driver. The 528 has linear power supplies.
Someone asked about soundstage depth. My back wall is 20 feet behind the speakers and the soundstage can go well beyond that. The ATI sounds nuanced, has great dynamics and musical ease. Sounds as good as the front end components. Just bought a used phono-preamp. Asked the vendor who is going to sweep that giant soundstage? I used to own a First Watt SIT2. Class A Magic with the right loudspeakers. But the ATI class D with Orions is also magical.

K
Another thought on class D and design. One must also consider longevity of parts used and future serviceability of current digital parts implemented in its design. Here today gone tomorrow world of digital parts and design would make me seriously think about putting serious money into a product that may have obsolete parts in the future that aren’t available. Unless a manufacturer stock piles enough parts for future service needs your probably looking at Something that’s worthless if it needs repair of digital parts that are unavailable. Even then there’s no guarantees that a manufacturer will still be around to service it.
Here today gone tomorrow world of digital parts and design would make me seriously think about putting serious money into a product that may have obsolete parts in the future that aren’t available.


I have to say the modules I’ve seen were barely serviceable. I like the sound of the ICEpower modules, but having attempted to service several of them which arrived with broken off caps, it was a real challenge. They are packed tight and with little care for easy disassembly and re-work.

Every other amplifier I've worked on fell apart (in a good way) as soon as I realized where the screws were that were holding it together.