Who tried Class D only to return to S/S or Tube



And what were the reason you did a backflip back to S/S or tube.
As there are a few pro Class D threads being hammered at the moment, I thought I'd put this up, to get some perspective.

Cheers George
128x128georgehifi
I’m  a little puzzled by all this "switching" talk.  My class D amp has 60kHz bandwidth while tweeters are almost completely quiet with my ear next to them (200W amp).   I’ve read the same in many reviews of different class D amps.  It was much worse with class AB amp in the same setup.   Highs in my amp are very clean while midrange is simply wonderful.   As for SMPS being noisy, nothing can be further from the truth.  New zero current/zero voltage switching SMPS are extremely quiet and that’s why Jeff Rowland uses them not only in class AB amps but also in preamps purely for their low noise (efficiency is unimportant in preamps).  Just to show an example:  Benchmark reduced noise floor in their latest DAC by 10dB using SMPS instead of Linear PS used in previous model of the same DAC.  It is because Linear PS is not linear at all.  It is simply unregulated noisy switcher that switches at 120Hz at max voltage producing not only hard to filter 120Hz but whole bunch of high frequency harmonics - since current is taken from the mains in huge narrow spikes.  Power supply is line and load unregulated and requires huge amount of capacitors to keep voltage steady.  These high inductance capacitors are in series with the output (circuit closes thru them).  Adding parallel non inductive caps might help but it will also create (with inductance of electrolytic caps) a parallel resonance circuit that will ring.   That’s why class D amps with SMPS are praised in  many reviews for keeping composure under heavy peaks (orchestra’s forte).  Lets forget about "switching" - speakers are unable to play 400kHz while we are unable to hear it at all.  It is imagined problem by "experts" that have absolutely no clue trying to find something wrong. Class D are linear amps where duty cycle, instead of voltage, is used as adjusted quantity.  

Thank you George, yes I have heard the screaches you describe, as well as the dark uninvolving sound several times at RMAF.... Quite consistently from some class D brands, and unfortunately equally consistently from some brands that produce otherwise well regarded class A, A/B, and a variety of OTLs and other tubed amps 


Luckily none of the amps of any class that I have owned since I sold an Aragon 4004 Mk.2 in the late '90s have had an even remote propensity of creating such audible horrors.


Somehow, my home is blessed by marvellous music... Yes, I hear music that is congruent with the sound of live acoustic instruments that I have experienced since I was six years old.


Can it be enhanced further? ... Of course!



Can it be enhanced further?

Yes it can and soon I think, and I'll be there when it does, as soon as I see the technology about to become available from the big multinational component manufacturers, to supply the Class D manufacturers with. 

I'll get the jump and flick my expensive power hungry potential boat anchors before it's too late, and wait for the 2nd generation Class D to appear, even if it means I'm without music for a while.


Cheers George 

2nd generation is already here. Ableteck, Pascal and Hypex are all making 2nd generation class d amps that are competitive with nearly anything ss or tube based at less than ridiculous prices.

There is no issue with the switching frequency nor the filtering in these modules. None of these produce any audible distortion products at the tweeter. I have heard all three. They are all excellent and have been well reviewed.

Your saying is that there will be no higher switching frequency developed in the near future, because there is no issue with at the moment, you need to re-think that one big time, seriously. 


Cheers George