High End Amp Price Collapse musings

I agree that class D is not there yet. There was a time when flat panel and digital projection could not hold a candle to CRT particularily in black level. Discerning home theatre enthusiasts would still put up with huge, heavy, inefficient CRT displays to get that black level. Once digital got close the value of CRT plummeted. At that time one could pick up high end CRT displays and projectors for dirt cheap. Arguably these displays still out performed all but the very best digital systems and it was heaven for those on a tight budget.
I agree this is a way off for amplification but I do believe the time is coming.

There are a number of Class D amps that sound really good at their modest price points, such as the offerings by Bel Canto.  But, so far, the really high end and expensive models have not impressed me.  I have no idea why the Devialet amps get such good reviews for sound quality; they sound lifeless and I find myself losing interest quickly when listening to music through those amps (they look fantastic and are incredibly compact and versatile so I can understand their non-sonic appeal). 

The time may be coming, maybe not. Class D is not really new, it's been around for about 15 years now. I seem to think that Class D was more popular 10 years ago than it is today.

You keep trying to compare Class A to CRT TV's, how about you compare it to vinyl?
35(?) years after the release of digital, and vinyl is still very much alive.

Trying to guess what audio products will gain favor and which will lose favor in the next 10-25 years would seem to be an exercise in futility.
Mental gymnastics, nothing more.

I compare the two because I am very familiar wit CRT and its slow demise. I see the amp situation to be somewhat similiar.
I agree vinyl is very alive and I agree Class D is not ready for high end prime time. I dont believe high end class A ala Krell, Pass etc will ever disappear. I just see the possibility of breakthroughs in Class D as a great thing for budget USED high end if Class D ever becomes the standard. To say it will never happen or that it absolutely will happen is folly.
The title is High End Amp Price Collapse musings and you are correct. Musing could be substituted for Mental Gymnastics.
This is nothing serious....just fun.

Life is short, how long are you willing to wait and maybe miss out on what you want to enjoy?