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Ayre Parasound Pass : where are you?

I’ve been thinking a little bit about three different types of SS amplifier sounds. I’m not really sure what to call them, but I have a definite preference. Here is the spectrum in my mind:

Ayre <--> Parasound <--> Pass 

On the one hand is Ayre and Arcam. Yeah, fight me, but there are big similarities to the sound. I also loved the Pono and what it did for my IEMs, using the Ayre designed output stage. I wish Fiio would license it too.

In the middle is Parasound Halo and ICEpower Class D modules (I’ve owned both) which to me are identical in sound quality. Clearly I’m happy with them for the price!

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Pass. A sound I really don’t like.

But regardless of which you like, what do you think the differences are?

What spectrum do you use to think about solid state amplifiers??
erik_squires
sfseay's avatar
sfseay
496 posts
 
To put all Class D amps in the same category or believing they have the same sound characteristics is just ignorant. I have listened to many Class D amps and have owned five different ones. Almost all of them retailed for over $3500.00 and not one of them sounded dull, lifeless or without soul.

I’ll put my Esoteric I-03 Integrated Class D amp up at the top of the heap of all Class D amps I have heard and just about every A/B amp I have heard too. I bought a gently used Mark Levinson No 585 Integrated earlier this year and sold it because the I-03 sounded better in my system and to my ears.

Having said all that, I still use and very much enjoy my Pass Labs INT-30A Integrated Class A amp.
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
I just recently heard the Pass XA25 paired with a Herron preamp driving a larger floor standing Omega speakers at a house of a local audio club member. He had them set up in a  room roughly 14X18 with the speakers well into the room along the long wall. The amp was only a week old and I can confess it was one of the best sounding systems I had ever heard. Melody Gardot never sounded so real to my ears. If I was not married I'd steal/borrow to have that system. FWIW.  
hddg's avatar
hddg
123 posts
 
I think we look or want to have the most we can get from the amps we invest into. My amps must be balanced, have very nice and "true" tones, they must be fast, powerful, recreate the soundstage and image, and they must have timing, attack and big dynamics to make the music lively. But, as always, any amp will also be allowed to perform its best in accordance to associated gear on each end. 
helomech
1,740 posts
 
I have listened to many Class D amps and have owned five different ones. Almost all of them retailed for over $3500.00
And likely had a production cost of about $600. That's the primary advantage of class D.



celander's avatar
celander
1,503 posts
 
Looks like Esoteric has moved away from class D in all of their current amplifier designs. What exactly was the class D topology referred to as “MSW Pure Class D power amplifier” in the legacy Esoteric integrated amps?
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