Which Class D Amplifier? PS Audio, Ghent, Nord, Merrill or other???

One day maybe, when the price (not looks) of the performance of the SE-R1 comes down to the the price or lower of the SU-G30.

GaN technology seems to be lit, just needs more semi conductor manufactures like Motorola, AD, Texas, ect ect. to purchase patent rights to make them from EPC (GaN)
That’s how they (Lidow and co.) did it when they sold the rights to the power mosfet all those years ago, and if you remember the same scenario is going on here. Initial price of amps using them were very high then they crashed because so many manufacturers bought the rights to make them.

BTW looking at the heatsinks in the SU-G30 above, that section is the GaN amp, it may have higher than todays 600khz switching because it’s using these heatsinks, as EPC said to me if left at 600khz there is no need for any heat sinking on any of the GaN boards, so it maybe higher. Could be a great sounding little amp, I can think maybe Quad ESL57’s would be nice as they can’t take to much wattage, or any > 90db speakers

Cheers George

I’ll consider your response promising. Maybe it’s time for a group hug with Eric?

Maybe it’s time for a group hug with Eric?

Too busy listening to my marvelous Class D amps to bother with other humans.

I’ll consider your response promising.

Like I said before, when this GaN technology becomes more affordable, and looking that this latest stuff coming out it’s not too far off.
Those that were negative towards all the pro’s it had to offer from owners of the current hamstrung Class-D’s, those owners will be the first ones sell their older technology ones to purchase the newer GaN Class-D’s.
As they will not want to be stuck with them, as they’ll be unsellable for a reasonable price.
It could be compared to when silicon transistor amps came out, the older germanium transistor amps couldn’t even be given away.

Cheers George

Hello georgehifi,

     The AGD mono amps you linked a review to look very interesting. 

   https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/agd-production-vivace-gantube-monoblock-ampli...

      So, it sounds to me like you were right on the money about how these new GaN transistors ability to positively affect the sound quality of class D amps. The reviewer stated these amps "sound like a SET tube amp but with better dynamics and breadth". 
      If true, that is an amp sound signature that could be revolutionary since.I believe it's the first of its kind.  I've never heard of an amp described as combining SET tube sound with better dynamics and breadth.  
     Of course, there's more than transistors that determines the sound qualities of an amp, right?    Or could we be stuck thinking conventionally about a new technology that could prove to be game changing? Most of us are accustom to discussing the sound differences between amps that use FETs and Bi-Polar transistors, with a total lack of knowledge about the affects of using the new GaN transistors.  
     All I know about these new GaN transistors is that they are significantly faster switching from on to off, and vice versa, which thus significantly reduces dead-time (the down time when a transistor is neither on nor off but in an in between idle state) that ultimately results in lower distortion. Lower distortion is always a good thing but could there be other forces at work that could result in improved performance?
    Currently, I have no answers to my own questions. I'm just thinking out loud and hoping you guys n gals will pitch in and help.
    I find this new GaN transistor technology very exciting but want to keep it in perspective.  I hope their use continues to trickle down to even more affordable amps as George predicted (good call).  It seems they rather quickly went from only being used in the $50K Technics to these new AGD monos at $15K/pair. Still too steep for me but I can wait..

Thanks,
  Tim