I’m pretty sure that even if switching frequency becomes 1000 times higher than current standard and 1/10000000000 THD, Class-D will not convince many of audiophiles. For a lot of audiophile, ultimate transparency / cleaness / hifi is no more their goal these days.
Class D Technology
So I get the obvious strengths of Class D. Efficiency, power output & running cool which allows for small form factors. I also understand the weaknesses somewhat. 1. Non-linear & lots of distortion that needs to be cleaned up with an output filter.
So my question is, if it weren't for efficiency & power, would there be any reason to own a Class D amp? Do they beat Class A in any other categories that count for sound quality?
So my question is, if it weren't for efficiency & power, would there be any reason to own a Class D amp? Do they beat Class A in any other categories that count for sound quality?
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Tim, If you can't hear the difference, stop! :) Unless you are a QA professional, learning to tell the difference in equipment you couldn't hear before doesn't lead to better enjoyment. I traded in my class A/AB amps after evaluating class D and finding them inaudibly different. I could not tell blindfolded which I was listening to. I DO see potential for tweeters with rising impedances or high capacitances being too much of a challenge but that's not how I make my speakers. :) Best, Erik |
ultimate transparency / cleaness / hifi is no more their goal these daysThose never were my goals. Although resolution and a quiet background (similar to what you may mean by transparency/cleaness) are expected attributes in higher end gear, excellent tone, dimensionality and dynamics are more important to my enjoyment and, in my experience, it can be hard to find all three in a component. |
What I’ve been trying to get across re the Class-D’s switch noise and it’s associated output filter, trying to eliminate that noise without effecting the audio band. This is a page by the actual component manufacturer that allows the new mega expensive Technics SE-R1 to double the speed of it’s switching frequency, which in turn allows the filter to do a better job, and be less destructive to the audio band. They still need to double it again before I’ll dip my feet into Class-D. http://epc-co.com/epc/GaNTalk/Post/13752 Cheers George |
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