High End Amp Price Collapse musings

Like computers Class D amps are still evolving. A guys walks into a computer store for a possible purchase. He finally tells the clerk that he has decided to wait till computers improve in the near future. The clerk responds, then you will never own one because they are constantly improving.

Class-D is nothing new.  It's been around since the 50's if not longer... about the same time the transistor came about.

Why has it taken so long for it to become the "next great thing"??

I've owned a couple of high end Class-D amps, NuForce References as well as Bel Canto and they weren't bad.  They were quite good, but there was always something missing.  Will they get better, of course, but so will transistor designs and tube designs.

I guess I just like big, heavy amps.  :)

I think the dollar will collapse before hi end amplifiers do. 
Not sure that would solve your issues

Like a microwave a Class D is either on or off as opposed to a Class A/B which is always on.

Not really... a Class A/B output device is either partially-ON or completely off. (Class A outputs are always partially-ON). The "partially-ON" part is the hard one, no device is entirely linear doing that. So they basically do just "some more" or "some less" in relatively accurate but still uneven amounts.

But the very fast solid state devices are VERY good at being ON or OFF over precise times, so in at least that way that works better -- the power devices don’t have to be linear, they just have to be fast.

markainsworth wrote:

Hi, I think that however good Class D becomes, it will always sound different than Class A, and a significant enough number of audiophiles will consider them worth their weight that the market for used class A / AB amps will not take a nose dive anytime soon.

And this really is the crux of the matter. Is any particular class-A amplifier really that great? or is it different?

What I mean is, if you say amp Abc is your reference, and then challenge any other amp to be "as good" then maybe none will because all will be "different."

I know some of the amps I like the most are just not that accurate. In fact they are quite colorful and euphonic. I think the ICEPower amps I'm listening to right now are actually much more accurate, terribly smooth and powerful with great soundstaging and no detectable noise.

In many dimensions these amps have eclipsed my all-time references the Conrad Johnson Premiere 8s. But better? Hmmmm, difficult question. I can say, for music and practical reasons I would not trade my amps for the CJ's right now.

Best,

E