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Digital Amps - Your opinions and why so few?

Hi, I'm in the market for new amps for Maggie 3.6r's and just wondered what your experiences/opinions are on digital amps.
The technology seems well developed, and the advantages seem very tangible 'on paper'. I spoke with a tech guy at Tact Audio concerning their S2150 amp, and the 'specs' are very impressive. They amps also provide the facility to replace the speaker x-over. In a 2-way speaker, you can use two digital amps and program each amp with the associated crossover parameters.
I also spoke yesterday with a real gentleman, Henry, the designer/founder of H2O digital amps. I found him by following a buzz on the apogee audio website, where people using the difficult to drive apogees are dumping off their big Krells and Pass amps, and getting in the queue for the H2O. The few people already using the H20's are raving about them.
Then of course there are the Spectron amps, though I read somewhere recently that they may be going out of business?

The point is, if this technology has matured, and these amps can compete with convential amps, and they are cheaper, lighter, give off less heat, generate higher watts from a smaller/lighter chasis, and.....wait for it....may actually sound better dollar for dollar, why don't we see more of them around?

Rooze
PS - I'm considering dropping big $$$$$ on a pair of new S2150 Tact digitals, please, please talk me out of it, and tell me these amps are crap....
128x128rooze
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
Panny - an improved after-market power cord is beneficial. There is no "synergy" with this amp. If you have good speakers, they will sound good with this amp. This amp will drive any speaker well.

The mods that I do improve:
1)output filtering stages
2) op-amps - by eliminating 8 and replacing with 3
3) power delivery to both the remaining op-amps and Tri-path module

All of these I feel are necessary.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer
rooze's avatar
rooze OP
636 posts
 
I've had two Carver ZR1600's running for about 30+ hrs now and they seemed to have leveled out as far as break-in goes. These are incredible amps for the money, but I don't think they are 'giant killers' as I've heard them referred to. I can imagine that someone with a difficult speaker load and a tight budget would benefit greatly from these amps, however, in stock form they are not SOTA sonically, at least not in my system.
I've posted a bit more information on this thread here Amps for Magnepan 3.6r since it seemed to be a more appropriate venue.
I'll get another 40 hrs on them and probably do a review.
gmood1
1,251 posts
 
If you are running Magnepans stock ,you will never hear what any amplifier is capable of with these speakers IMHO. You are running great multi thousand dollar gear with 50 dollar crossovers.There's so much more information in the music you aren't hearing with these speakers. There's no way to explain it unless you have experienced it. I hope it works out for you.
rooze's avatar
rooze OP
636 posts
 
Gmood1...I've done the fuse/attenuator bipass mod and have about $1400 worth of caps and alphacore inductors which I'm getting ready to install, along with an internal rewire and relocation of the internal x-over to a new external box. I'm hoping things sound good when it's all over!

Rooze
gmood1
1,251 posts
 
That's great!! You should hear a tremendous improvement in depth,bass and transparency.
Good luck with the mods.

ATB
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