2. amps-preamps
  3. 137918-20253

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
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
1extreme


Excellent way of utilizing them as that’s where they shine at the moment, with their output impedance down in the milliohms region (damping factor massive), so long as the speakers load impedance doesn’t get real nasty, as most that I’ve seen don’t seem to like <3ohms too much.

Cheers George

Post removed 
erik_squires OP
16,315 posts
 
The truth is class D is totally mediocre.If you think its great jump on an amp ASAP!!!!
 Report this
@ebm 

Blanket statements like this, without qualifying them with your experience, and speakers used are entirely unhelpful. Want to fill this in with what you find not-mediocre, and what Class D you have heard? 

Best,

E
smoorenc's avatar
smoorenc
48 posts
 
I agree with Adam8179 write up. Are my PS Audio Stellar class D's the best amp there is? No. Are the Class A/B's better sounding? Maybe.
Do the PS Audio's sound really good to me and also are in my price range?  YES. All that matters to me. 
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,909 posts
 
Not to steer this off topic, but no system can produce a convincing life-like sound, partly because the recording equipment cannot capture it.
I've seen systems belie this statement. In particular, a direct microphone feed driving headphones can fool many audiophiles with great ease. I advise actually working with good mics and recording gear and see if you still say this.
More to discover