Is D for Dry? Class D...


Class D sounds dry and lifeless... thats all, carry on
128x128b_limo
I love the anti - Class D folks and welcome their Critique .
Hence Allowing me to procure Class D Amps at a great price before the rest of the community really gives them a chance
My vote goes to dry, or at least dry'ish and lacking in that last touch of "realness," which better amplifiers are able to convey.  For subs and general listening Class D is great, but when compared to better Class A or Class AB amplifiers the NC1200 Ncore amplifiers that I owned (Acoustic Imagery Atsah monos) fell short.  
This quote from a review of the Mola Mola Kaluga in Mono &
Stereo comes as close as any to what I heard from the NC1200 monoblocks:
"All notes were there but the illusion of musicians standing in front of me wasn`t convincing at all. The music didn`t sound inviting and involving, it was just… there.
The emotional content was missing and the tonal colours were somewhat bleached. For lovers of analog reproduction and concert goers the sound could also be quite fatiguing and plain boring."
Bondmanp wrote:
"My back and I love our Class D Arion Audio S-500 amp."

(Sorry, I haven't mastered the art of quoting on this forum.)

I love bondmanp's remark, because it sums up how everything is a trade-off. I have a Yamaha AS-501 integrated, in large measure because it's about 25 pounds and that's my upper limit. But I'd love more power! And Class D seems the only way for me to get that without injury. Is it everything sonically a powerful A/AB amp would be? Maybe, maybe not. But the powerful A/AB amp is not an option. I am more and more intrigued by the world of Class D.



@chronicle... I went from a trouble-plagued but highly regarded class a/b amp that weighed 64 lbs and was rated at 150 watts/channel to my Arion, rated at 500 watts/channel. In my case, this was no compromise for lighter weight. Dynamics, soundstage and especially neutrality all improved significantly. Best of all, a lower-treble/upper-midrange peak that could get nasty disappeared. For years, I thought it was from my room or my loudspeakers. But it was my "liquid sounding" Class A/B amp all along.  I have been digging my system with the Class D Arion amp for over a year now.  Absolutely love it.  I am fairly sure I could not beat it for the money.
@bondmanp Are you using the Arion S-500 or the HS-500? I went to their website and can't see the difference in specs between them. Also, what kind of pre-amp are you pairing with them?