Yeah, reviews are definitely across the board for Class D. Many love Class D and it can definitely provide ultra clean and ultra clear sound. I have heard some statements that recording engineers love this because they can hear every single instrument for mix. However, my own ears (and some others) state that Class D cannot do the very high frequency that well - this means that you lose a sense of "air" in the music/sound. This has been documented by reviews and others. Some people are not sensitive to this effect or they haven't heard it or it doesn't matter to them.
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Older Class D amp circuits typically had a problem where the impedance curve of the speaker dictated the frequency response of the amp. This usually was the old UcD circuit. The latest nCore circuit solves a lot of problems, but still doesn't have 100% of the "air" in the high frequencies.
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If I were to recommend a new Class D amp in your budget, I would look at the Nord Acoustic "Nord One MP NC252" model. It uses the latest nCore circuit at 250 watts per channel and can be up to 8 channels. The 7 channel model is 1574 Eur ($1764 USD). But like pretty much all the rest of the Class D offerings, it uses switching power supply.
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Probably one of the best nCore offerings is the ATI amplifiers because they use a full linear power supply (no switching power supply!). However, the 7 channel model (AT527NC) is $4199!!!!
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So, back to our discussion, between the Outlaw 700x and the Monolith 7, it's somewhat close in my opinion. The Outlaw will likely be more refined and more "real" sounding with better clarity because of component quality. However, the Outlaw may not do as well when things get really busy in all 7 channels (such as action movies where you have constant sound all over the place). In this situation, the Monolith 7 might do better because it actually has 2 transformers to split the work and better power and overhead to absorb all that choas. I think it comes down to what seems more important to you.
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I based my responses on your statement "Need new 7 ch. amp". If you were to consider used, there is actually a used Outlaw 7700 at TMR Audio for $1599. It looks in really good condition, except for a small ding on the bottom right of the front panel. The 7700 would be best overall because of the larger power supply and it's actualy a fully balanced/differential amp (as opposed to single-ended).
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Older Class D amp circuits typically had a problem where the impedance curve of the speaker dictated the frequency response of the amp. This usually was the old UcD circuit. The latest nCore circuit solves a lot of problems, but still doesn't have 100% of the "air" in the high frequencies.
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If I were to recommend a new Class D amp in your budget, I would look at the Nord Acoustic "Nord One MP NC252" model. It uses the latest nCore circuit at 250 watts per channel and can be up to 8 channels. The 7 channel model is 1574 Eur ($1764 USD). But like pretty much all the rest of the Class D offerings, it uses switching power supply.
----
Probably one of the best nCore offerings is the ATI amplifiers because they use a full linear power supply (no switching power supply!). However, the 7 channel model (AT527NC) is $4199!!!!
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So, back to our discussion, between the Outlaw 700x and the Monolith 7, it's somewhat close in my opinion. The Outlaw will likely be more refined and more "real" sounding with better clarity because of component quality. However, the Outlaw may not do as well when things get really busy in all 7 channels (such as action movies where you have constant sound all over the place). In this situation, the Monolith 7 might do better because it actually has 2 transformers to split the work and better power and overhead to absorb all that choas. I think it comes down to what seems more important to you.
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I based my responses on your statement "Need new 7 ch. amp". If you were to consider used, there is actually a used Outlaw 7700 at TMR Audio for $1599. It looks in really good condition, except for a small ding on the bottom right of the front panel. The 7700 would be best overall because of the larger power supply and it's actualy a fully balanced/differential amp (as opposed to single-ended).