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The Truth about Modern Class D

All my amps right now are Class D. ICEpower in the living room, and NAD D 3020 in the bedroom.

I’ve had several audiophiles come to my home and not one has ever said "Oh, that sounds like Class D."

Having said this, if I could afford them AND had the room, I’d be tempted to switch for a pair of Ayre monoblocks or Conrad Johnson Premiere 12s and very little else.

I’m not religious about Class D. They sound great for me, low power, easy to hide, but if a lot of cash and the need to upgrade ever hits me, I could be persuaded.

The point: Good modern Class D amps just sound like really good amplifiers, with the usual speaker/source matching issues.

You don’t have to go that route, but it’s time we shrugged off the myths and descriptions of Class D that come right out of the 1980’s.
erik_squires
erik_squires OP
16,845 posts
 
audiothesis - It would help if we had your point of reference. What do you consider the most natural amplifiers you have heard? 

If you want them to sound like a boutique OTL amp, chances are they never will. :) 

Best,

E
audiothesis
168 posts
 
..and that’s just it Erik. I am a single ended fanatic. With solid state I find I usually prefer a good A/B over even class A amplifiers for some reason.

There are always exceptions that might tickle your fancy in a different way and that’s what I hold out for. I’ve found exceptions in most categories now, just not in Class D. The units I’ve heard (rather not mention) were bountiful in the bass but presented artificially. There were other artifacts throughout the spectrum but the bass stood out the most to me. The units I tried were not world-class but not trash either.

Maybe natural was the wrong word and organic fits better. It all felt too etched to me, like overdoing the sharpness on a television.

Mola Mola was on my short list to try and I recently had another one recommended to me (by another single ended fan at that), though the name escapes me at this point.  I definitely am not closed-minded to them - just waiting for the right one.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
To say class D is bright means you are not very well versed in quality class D.

This is correct as they can be either too bright (hard) or to opaque (soft) or a milder mix of both, and it nearly always comes down to how savage the output filter is that attenuates the switching frequency. As it's phase shift effects can be measure within the audio bands upper frequencies right down to 5khz, especially, the "opaque sounding one". You never hear of anyone criticizing the bass, that's because it good!

There are those that for the life of them can't hear anything wrong, good luck to them I say.

Cheers George
erik_squires OP
16,845 posts
 
audiothesis : 

Aha! :) 

I knew you were one of those OTL scoundrels! 

J/k : But the truth is if OTL is what you like, then talking about good Class D amps is not going to be your cup of tea.

Best,

E
oldschool1948's avatar
oldschool1948
508 posts
 
I'm new to digital music, but not analog.  I have a vintage McIntosh system that's been my main system for almost 20 years.

I started building a listening room digital system about 4 months ago.  I'm mostly-retired and didn't want to spend too much on it.  I got a good deal on a new NAD M12/M22 v2 combo, a used pair of Tannoy 8 dcti speakers; and a demo Innous Zenith MK2.  

At first, I was not very happy with my new purchases.  As the equipment has aged and I've bought better speaker wire, interconnects, and power cords, I've experienced a dramatic improvement in SQ - but at times, the highs are still too bright.  I plan to treat my room within the next 30 days, hoping that will help enough.  If not, I'll have some decisions to make.
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