Class D Technology

I am not sure where obsession with the switching frequency comes from.  It is inaudible while the only other thing that it might cause is filtering network phase shift - that can be beneficial since speaker has much larger positive phase shift at high frequencies. Placing nonsense about signal being "destroyed" (while SACD works exactly the same way) is trolling.

If you read my post I used a question mark and asked for clarification and correction...which Atmosphere was kind enough to reply to and correct my confusion. Kijanki, I don't think that anybody is doubting that your amplifier sounds brilliant to you. At the same time, I think it's okay for others to be less satisfied about what they hear. Don't get me wrong. I want a tiny powerhouse amplifier that sounds brilliant to my ears as much as the next guy. Class D is the future and there are a lot of audiophiles sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the technology to mature. We need early adopters to buy into the technology so I'm thankful that the modules are good enough or even perfect right now for many people. 

seanheis1  +1

Kijanki, I don't think that anybody is doubting that your amplifier sounds brilliant to you. At the same time, I think it's okay for others to be less satisfied about what they hear. Don't get me wrong. Class D is the future and there are a lot of audiophiles sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the technology to mature.

+1, and the only way is to speak up and get it done. So far Technics is leading the way.

Cheers George 

@erik_squires and @noble100 ,

I'm glad you both have found systems that you are happy with, and you are certainly correct in that there are some great Class D options available on the market - I do not believe I stated anywhere in my post that Class D in universally inferior to A/B. What I did state is that Class D designs tend to sacrifice fidelity in favor of efficiency, which is true in most cases. Are there exceptions? Sure, though that's not really what the OP was asking; his question was not if the best Class D designs can compete with Class A/B, it was:

"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?"

And while audio quality is somewhat subjective, I think you're going to be hard pressed to argue that even the best Class D amps will rival the best Class A amps on the market. I brought up Class G and Class H as being potentially better options in the ongoing search for increasing efficiency while preserving fidelity, which from a sheer technological and design point of view, is hard to argue with when it comes to reproducing full-range audio. The only downside is cost, as it's a much more expensive technology than Class D, and that may well be what prevents it from ever becoming a mainstream option.

Anyway, I've no wish to start an argument with you or anyone else - I was simply trying to share my thoughts on the subject based on my experience as both a long-time enthusiast and owner of a home theater company. 

Cheers,

-David

"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?"

That is the debate, my answer is no, not yet, (except in the bass & upper bass). And it’s not because of the power, but more the damping factor (low impedance output) which some say is aided by of gobs of feedback.

Cheers George