The Future of Audio Amplification

Great find, by  mountainsong

GaN technology for $4k, and this Technics SU-G30 is also a complete network integrated amplifier. Seems like it doesn’t use the 1.5mhz higher switching frequency that the $20k Technics SE-R1 uses, but does use a hybrid power supply, not all smp, and by just using the GaN technology it’s probably front of all it’s competitors anyway.

https://img.usaudiomart.com/uploads/large/1837138-technics-sug30-network-amplifier.jpg

What one reviewer thought

The musical reproduction offered by the Technics SU-G30 was among the best sound of any amplifier I have ever reviewed. Technics has a short preamble in the manual that hypes the great sound of this amplifier and I agree with their marketing-driven assessment. It is ironic that the better digital gets, the closer it sounds to analog. Tubelike even. And at some point, digital can have the best qualities of digital and analog at the same time. This is how I view the audio prowess of the Technics SU-G30 – it is like analog, super clean analog at that.

My generalized listening impressions involved excellent purity of tone, a huge soundstage, amazing detail retrieval along with surprising excellence on streaming services.

BTW looking at the heatsinks in the SU-G30 above, that section is the GaN amp, it may have higher than todays 600khz switching because it’s using these heatsinks, as EPC said to me if left at 600khz there is no need for any heat sinking on any of the GaN boards, so it maybe higher. Could be a great sounding little amp, I can think maybe Quad ESL57’s would be nice as they can’t take to much wattage, or any > 90db speakers

Cheers George

 Nobody cares about class T?
People consider class T as in the same category with class D?

 Nobody cares about class T?
People consider class T as in the same category with class D?

Yes. 'Class T' is a trademark.

GaN, aside, I definitely recommend people always seek out and consider the latest and greatest technical innovations that can clearly help move things forward, Class D or otherwise, especially before dropping big bucks on older technology alternatives that have not evolved much but now cost more than ever.

Considering an ICE amp? I had this problem with ucore

“One of the difficulties implementing the ICE module is its hungry demands for a powerful input signal. The 700 watt ICE module has low impedance (around 8KΩ) which, if not properly buffered, can cause plenty of poor sound from connected equipment. And what the designer uses to buffer it is critical. In our case, the Analog Cell handles not only this critical buffering task, but sets the synergy between the input and output. Another innovation employed in service of great performance can be found in the power supply design. Here, the Analog Cell received high quality DC through liberal use of regulation and power supply storage through use of capacitance multipliers and generous numbers of low ESR capacitors.”