Good quality Class D is the practical ticket these days (efficient and sound great done well) if your speakers require lots of power and current to do their best and you care about higher SPLS.
The only equivalent alternative is a more traditional giant, bulky, expensive power-sucking monster amp of yore which are becoming increasingly hard to find and afford because frankly hardly anyone wants to have to deal with all that.
The other popular and unique use case for Class D is you just want something very inexpensive and small that represents a very practical and good value. That can be had for <$100 and matched to the right also inexpensive but good quality small speakers can get you a significant portion of the way there for practically nothing on the high end audiophile scale of things.
That is very bad news unfortunately for high end audio! Perhaps one reason for some of the derision heaved towards Class D in some cases.
If your speakers have limited bass extension, or are just an easy load to drive, and perhaps are somewhat more efficient, or you just do not listen at higher SPLs, then any good quality more modest power amp design might do.
The only equivalent alternative is a more traditional giant, bulky, expensive power-sucking monster amp of yore which are becoming increasingly hard to find and afford because frankly hardly anyone wants to have to deal with all that.
The other popular and unique use case for Class D is you just want something very inexpensive and small that represents a very practical and good value. That can be had for <$100 and matched to the right also inexpensive but good quality small speakers can get you a significant portion of the way there for practically nothing on the high end audiophile scale of things.
That is very bad news unfortunately for high end audio! Perhaps one reason for some of the derision heaved towards Class D in some cases.
If your speakers have limited bass extension, or are just an easy load to drive, and perhaps are somewhat more efficient, or you just do not listen at higher SPLs, then any good quality more modest power amp design might do.