The Future of Audio Amplification

No one has mentioned GaN class D yet. Seems to be a game changer

If GaN acts like a V-Fet or a SIT, then they might be on to something.

The non linear gain curve of a modern transistor will generate odd order harmonics, which is where the problem in audio lies.

A SIT or V-Fet, produces predominantly even order harmonics, which is tied to possessing what is principally a linear gain curve. More akin to a tube. A triode tube, specifically. This is critical. Big time critical.

To test this theory, one has to make a modern Class D amp with a modern V-fet, which means Tokin devices. Which are available on ebay as the last of their kind. These are high current high voltage devices. (the Tokin versions)

The future of audio is very likely V-Fet/ SIT.

Class D, as it stands, produces what is predominantly odd order harmonic hash, which is filtered.

The shape of that odd ordered hash is mistaken for detail, as the components of it (mix of odd ordered harmonics) meander around (shift and change) in the presented mix.

I heard it for what it was the first time I head a class D amp, and it is there in all of them. Garish, faulted right to the emergent core, unlistenable. For me, that is....as I heard it and recognized it...that it is totally against the aim of audio technology, in my view, hearing and understanding. To take the worst and unwanted part of what solid state devices do and make it the ENTIRE waveform. Jebus.

This is mostly testable in a finished item...as Sony did it right and made a class D amp back in the day, with SIT or V-Fets as the output devices.

Not as much of a modern refinement as the current crop of Class D amps, but the build/design clues for working with SIT devices are all there in a pre-existing finished item.

Interestingly enough, modern V-Fets/SITs are designed to be high frequency high powered choppers of the like that are required for Class D design.

We had it in hand, we were on our way... but mosfets killed the audio star....

Audio is all about shootout and comparing. And the best one will always be chosen. You need to find the best one in each single price range.

So far I never auditioned a class D who was the best in it’s price range. All the ones who are less than the best one have no meaning in our world.

When you do not understand sound and music you will never understand audio either . Over 99% van all human beings don’t understand that much about sound and music.

I had conversations with many people who work in audio (just like me over 20 years of time). They all had to admit that their insight and knowledge was very limited.

I asked them all many different questions they could all not answer. This made them realize that they own a very limited level in insight and knowledge regarding music and sound. This is needed to understand audio.

The fact that audio is done all over the world by trail and error. Proofs on facts that the awareness of human beings is very little developed. Based on the fact that trail and error has no real foundation. When I talked about this with many people who work in audio. They realized that they cannot extract the dna of each single part in an audio system.

So you never will understand what you are doing. And it is just audio by gambling. They all agreed that there was no way to understand why the sound and stage(these are only 2 aspects of sound) is what they can hear. This proofs on facts that there is no foundation. You always need a foundation to understand exactly what you are doing.

Knowledge and insight is something you need to develope yourself. But....most people in audio are all just like parrots. They use they words they read from articles. Or they say the things distributers or manufacturers told them.

I give you an example; We were at the first presentation of the B&W 800D3. The person who did the presentation said: B&W did change over 800 parts compared to the former series2.

So we asked him a simple question: can you tell us some of those changements? But he could not, and he realized that he was only telling us a story from a paper.

Whe you let people hear instruments and voices in real, it becomes clear that most audio products sounds a lot different. This proofs on facts that most manufactures know little about sound and music as well.

Because if they would have known a lot about sound and music their products would have sounded a lot different. So what is needed to create audio products who sound more realistic an natural?

Yesssss research and knowledge and spending time how music and instruments sounds in real.

bo1972

Audio is all about shootout and comparing ...

Some dealers want you to believe this, but I couldn't disagree more. A "shootout" is the worst way to evaluate an audio component, because what may appear at first to be impressive or revealing often - over time - reveals itself to be  distortion or some other anomaly. There's no substitute for relaxed listening over time in a familiar system, imo. That's when a component's true nature is revealed, and this approach to choosing components has served me well. "Shootouts" are for audio cowboys.

Trail and error is doing audio at the level of a child.

So many people asked me what do I mean with this?

I will tell you. Children will face many situations that they have no idea how to handle. Because they do not know the new situation and what the best way is to handle? So they react and hope it will work out ok.

I asked many people who work in audio for a long time about how they make their choices.

I will give you an example.

In 2017 I was in an audioshop and the person started to work in audio also in 1998 like I did. He received a new loudspeakercable and he wanted to test it.

So I asked him: this system overhere you will use and the loudspeakercable I see you will change?

He said yes.

So I asked him: which properties of sound you will take out when you take this loudspeakercable out?

Each audio product owns it’s DNA. I learned to extract the full DNA of each single audio product in any system. Because I had a mindset in 1998. I was aware that when I want to understand why each single amp, loudspeaker, source all sounds so different. I need to know the full dna of each individual part.

He said; I have no idea.

So I asked him; which properties of sound you will add when you replace it by the cable you want to test?

He said; I have no idea.

So I asked him; When you audition your system or the system of a client do you know why the sound and stage (only 2 aspects/properties of sound) is what you hear?

He said: I have no idea.

So I said: then you will never understand what you are doing.

It made him realize that he makes choices pure without any kind of foundation. So I said; when you do not know what you are doing, you are just like a child who does not understand how to make the right decisions.

And he said; you are so right.

People need to learn to think further. Trial and error is the main reason why most audio systems all sound so limited. Based on the fact that they are all incomplete. This means that they lack different aspects/properties of sound.

Each individual property of sound can influence your emotion. That is why each audiosystem what can reveal all the details and aspects/properties of a recording will always be a much more emotional and intense experience than any incomplete trial and error created system. And again this can be proven by sound.

The emotion of the music you always will find on the recording. That is why a system is needed that can reveal all the details and different aspects/properties of sound.