Bel Canto Black EX amplifier. I have and have owned a number of excellent A/B amps, some of which operate in class A for 10 to 25 watts. Love the Bel Canto. Notice that none of them ever appear used for sale on this site.
High end Class D amps?
Just an observation and a question. Are there 'high end' Class D amps out there that are just as good as Class A, A/B amps? I realize that's a sensitive question to some and I mean no disrespect---but whenever I see others' hifi systems on social media, all of the amps are A or A/B. There's always Pass, McIntosh, Moon, Luxman, Accuphase, etc. Where are the Class Ds? For folks out there that want more power for less efficient speakers and can't afford the uber expensive Class As, A/Bs, what is there to choose from that's close to those brands? Thanks
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@jymc Ferrari was founded in 1939. If you're comparing nearly any Hyundai against an older Ferrari, you might be disappointed that the Hyundai not only was faster but also requires far less maintenance. Now let's put this in perspective as pertains to audio. Class A was the first and only class of operation created over 100 years ago. Class D was proposed in the 1950s and the first commercial home audio class D amps were sold in the 1960s. Now I'm sure you understand that in the 1960s germanium transistors were pretty much the only game in town and had really seriously terrible performance. But better transistors came along and class A solid state became possible. Meanwhile, better transistors came along and class D got a lot better. Meanwhile, cars made in the 1960s were lucky to get 100,000 miles on them before falling completely apart; Do you get my point? Class D has evolved not only due to breakthroughs in how to do it, but also vast improvements in the semiconductors with which to do it. So the bottom line these days is if the class D amp is built to high quality standards it can easily rival or surpass class A. Class A is used to minimize distortion in the output section due to non-linearities in the output devices, class D relies on switching so output section linearity isn't a thing. Try a good class D amp sometime and you may not want to go back. |
I've been using a Classe CA-D200 for the last 7 years. Since then, I have been led to believe that the technology cannot compete with A or A/B designed amplifiers, but I figured I'd just use the Classe amp as a "stop gap" until I found something I could afford and enjoy in a beefier class A amp. Since then I've tried a Parasound A21+, a McIntosh MC275, and even a Mark Levinson NO534. I ran each for about two weeks each, and while I couldn't afford the Levinson piece without also hiring a divorce lawyer, I found I preferred the sound of the Classe amp every time overall. The Mc amp was great for loud rock and roll, crunchy guitars and gut wrenching bass, but it seemed pretty grainy for classical, or any piano. The Parasound was great for bass and had very nice extended treble, but the midrange sounded "boxy" and a little muddy. The Levinson was the biggest surprise - it just sounded flat and uninvolving regardless of volume level. There wasn't much written about the CA-D200 when it hit the market, possibly because Classe was undergoing a change of the guard (Manufacturer head Dave Nauber, a wonderful guy and high end audio advocate, moved to T+A). I have a decidedly mid-fi system overall but I have really enjoyed and will likely just keep using the Classe until something "goes wrong". And before anyone chastises me for it, I will post my system today. :) |
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