Yes they sure do sound different.
Power Output of Class "D" amps
I have noticed a lot of discussion about class D amps in the past weeks. One thing bothers me. The most of the amps are rated high outputs into 8 ohms. Upon looking at the power into 4 ohms, the power is less that the normal doubling of output we see in most class A/B, and class A amps. I have been told ( maybe incorrectly ), that class D amps do drop in power output as the impedance falls. I am not sure since I am not an engineer. What does seem to be a common thread is that, especially the Spectron’s, seem to sound better when run in the mono block config. I wonder if the power supply sections of the class D amp are not as stout as traditional amps, again one popular company offers several thousand dollars of factory mods ?? to a finished product, to improve the sound. In what section of the amp do most of these mods take place, the power supply. I for one hate to buy a product that needs to be made better the day I buy it. Could the quality of the power supply sections of class D amps not be meeting the demands of the designs ?? or are they just cutting cost ??
Class D amps are a confusing lot. Some call them digital, others do not. Yet, they do switch on and off, at fantastic rates. Some companies even tout the fact that they switch so fast that they are super, super fast, so they sound better. That is also a funny fact, since may people here have stated that increased sample rates in CD players, ( switching ), decreases sound quality.
Last time I checked, sound when created I real life, is a group of waves that are unbroken, until the sound ends, or is made to stop on purpose. I believe we call that analog sound. If the sound that is fed to our speakers is a product of the input being switched on and off, not matter how fast, then it is not analog, but what ??, even if the designers are claiming that it recombined, isn’t it always wanting to play catch up ??
Could the decrease in power output into decreasing ohm values, be a lack of true analog tracking ??, and could this be the reason why class D amps sound better when run as mono blocks. Maybe it’s because it’s only then that they have the capability handle complex loads, and meet the expectations of the owners. Is 600 watts of Class D actually only equal to 300 watts of class A/B or Class A
I’d really appreciate if some qualified technical people would reply, along with all the regulars.
Fire away.
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- 17 posts total
- 17 posts total