That is not what I said. Class D sound sound and design has progressed a lot and will continue to.
The Future of Audio Amplification
I have recently paired an Audio Research DS225 Class D amplifier with an Audio Research tube preamplifier (SP8 mkii). I cannot believe how wonderful and lifelike my music sounds. The DS225 replaced an Audio Research SD135 Class AB amplifier. Perhaps the SD135 is just not as good as some of the better quality amps that are out there, but it got me thinking that amazingly wonderful sonance can be achieved with a tubed pre and Class D amp. I have a hunch that as more people experience this combination, it will likely catch on and become the future path of many, if not most audiophile systems. It is interesting that Audio Research has been at the forefront of this development.
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It’s what I said, and have been saying now about GaN technology for close on a year. It’s the single biggest technology improvement step so far since Class-D technology made an appearance in "full range" audio, not just for subs. And what you said kinda echo’s that. "I definitely recommend people always seek out and consider the latest and greatest technical innovations that can clearly help move things forward" |
GaN technology looks to be very promising and I read that the latest state of the art for power transistors in fast switching applications is to thin-layer GaN directly onto SiC substrates. This apparently saves big costs and allows the advantages of GaN to be realized relatively inexpensively. Looking forward to auditioning affordable Class D amps using this technology. |
Here’s a couple: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marco_Fanciulli/publication/224426167_Epitaxial_growth_of_zinc_... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022024800008538 https://techxplore.com/news/2018-08-fujitsu-triples-output-power-gallium-nitride.html One thing that is difficult, and I have experience with series 2 and 6 elements to make CdSe-based nanocrystals with ZnS shells, is how to deal with crystal lattice mismatch; some elements’ bond lengths just don’t align well in order to interface optimally. Typically, one had to dope in some intermediary element to "fill" the gaps created by the lattice mismatch. Looks like there’s a similar challenge/constraint in fabricating thin layer GaN onto SiC wafers. This is why, IMO, we haven’t seen the industrial "breakthrough," yet. Ideally, one would want pure GaN crystals in the form similar to that achieved with SiC in order to make large enough wafers. |
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