Wyred 4 Sound.....Anyone?????

Ckoffend,
WATTS are created from product of Voltage and Current for all tubes, solid states of different classes THE SAME.

60 tube watts can't be greater or equal to 100 SS watts it can only be less.

"60 tube watts can't be greater or equal to 100 SS watts it can only be less."

yes, but soft clipping nature of tube amps in general compared to SS may allow things to go louder off the same # watts than SS and still sound good.

Some Class Ds might have favorable audible clipping characteristics as well, but Class D generally enables you to throw power at teh problem more efficiently than otehr SS amp technologies so clipping may be less of an issue in general with CLass D than SS in general as a result.

Clipping is always something better off avoided or minimized to the max extent possible in that it will always have a major negative effect on the sound when in play, but not to the same extent with tube amps as with SS in general.

Highly efficient Class D technology can serve as a good insurance policy against clipping compared to many SS amps of comparable cost. That alone is a good reason for me to invest in a good Class D amp and never look back.

Clipping will be less of an issue with more efficient speakers also. Tube amps are accordingly at their best here with high efficiency speakers designed to work well with tube amplification.

Marakanetz
According to engineering/physics principles one would assume your statement correct. However, time and experience shows this is not necessarily true.

I brought this point up based on comments and statements I have heard others make. For example I know a guy that went from a 100 watt class A amp (plenty of power for his speakers) to 250 watt mono class D amps which did not have nearly enough power for his speakers.

We can look back into audio history and see "ratings" of amplifiers being mislead by manufacturers. While I am not saying this is the case with Class D, I do fail to understand an amp with two and a half times the rated power failing to have "enough power" compared to a much "smaller" class A amp?

Hence my Q as to a general analogy of Tubed amp power to SS A or A/B power to Class D power. One doesn't see many 500 watt and 1,000 watt Class A or even A/B amps. So why is this "rating" of power needed for class D amps? And is it equivalent power?

Ckoffend, the one example you offered, suggests many possible reasons: the Class D amp was defective, the Class D amp manufacturer overstated the specs, the Class A amp manufacturer understated the specs, the speaker/cables provided an impedance load beyond the rated full output capabilities of the Class D amp, the preceding gear didn't provide the neccessary output for the Class D amp to achieve full power output, the listeners didn't truly appreciate the power output of the Class D amp vis a vis the Class A amp, or something else all together. Small samplings of particular gear doesn't represent the entire technology genre.

" We can look back into audio history and see "ratings" of amplifiers being mislead by manufacturers. While I am not saying this is the case with Class D, I do fail to understand an amp with two and a half times the rated power failing to have "enough power" compared to a much "smaller" class A amp?"

Read article by one of the Spectron designer, Simon Thacher(http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/manufacture/0708/index.html) and you will understand that manufacurers as the rule and customers ALWAYS want power spec in rms i.e. continius.

Its good for bench test but music is not the test tone and as Spectron emphesize - the real power, power that matter is the peak power, its duration and absense of distortion during these periods. Thus as a rule, even small class A amp will outpower big class D amp, as former need huge power supply (big transformer etc) while non Spectron type class D have small swithing power supplies.