I've briefly listened to class D amp's, not my preference, did the same with class a/be amp's, btw, as it turns out, my preference is class A solid state and tube equipment, the heat has never bothered me that my amp has, to each their own, I've always been a class A fan, and likely will continue to enjoy for years to come.
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
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I think the main
reason some folks dislike the "good" Class D of today who
have actually tried it in their own systems is because they haven't
let themselves adjust to hearing how a musical presentation sounds
without audible distortion interfering. Yes, like it or not all that
"creamy warmth" people talk about IS distortion that is not
likely found on the original source material.
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Hi ENIAC, your post could not be timelier. On Friday 11th, Marc Mickelson of The Audiobeat, posted his review of the Rowland M825 stereo amp, which sports those very class D NCore NC1200 modules that you have experienced in your system. Marc's findings are based on prolonged use of the amp in his system,, which protracted for a number of months... Yes, I estimate the device to have been fully broken in. He appears to concur with your opinion that appreciation of musical neutrality in high achieving class D amps may require a paradigmatic shift for some audio lovers, away from some much beloved traditional warm sound. Amongst other things, he expresses the following thoughts in his conclusions... "Such a peripheral line of reasoning underscores what is very best about the Model 825 -- and potentially any great piece of audio equipment: it makes you forget that you're listening to a complicated and expensive audio system. This is more than the ability to suspend disbelief; it's a disarming of critical faculties, even when you're trying to be critical and unravel what you're hearing. In my experience tubes do this more readily than solid state, and class D almost never does it. The Model 825 does it as a matter of course -- it can't not do it -- and it happens not because of one or two or three of the sonic traits I discuss above, but all of them, in their exact proportions. If the Model 825 were somehow more natural, bordering on romantic, or more round and rosy, especially through the mids, it would be a different amp and perhaps a very good one, but not a great one. And the Model 825 is a great amp -- in numerous ways, greater than any amp I've heard. It speaks not just in its own voice but in a voice I always wanted to hear, such is the pull, at least for me, of the utterly clear yet composed way it reveals all that's on each recording." http://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/jeff_rowland_model_825.htmSaluti, As for Marc's caveat that "class D almost never does it", I respectfully disagree with him... And suggest that listening to a broad range of current high performing class D amps tends to reveal that class D in general has the same chance of sounding great or horrid as any other topology. Guido |
Class D is a cheaper implementation of amplification! , the manufacturer's make way more money and less over head, also, a high quality class A amplifier is extremely more complicated to implement! , an example of what I'm saying is, pass Labs class A amp's cost a lot more then their other model's, ask your self, why is that? , my system is so clear, you can hear the feet shuffle in the back ground, and page's turning with high quality classical recordings, I have class A, however, I also paired this with quality cable's to retrieve such information, also, their is tube equipment, we all know tube amplification is class A that is incredible sounding, class D will never have the clarity and sound stage, naturalness, detail that class A has, I understand this is my opinion, however, it's based on experience as well, been building systems for 36 year's. |
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