Heatsinks are required, even for Gan devices switching at lower speeds
If you ran this thing under heavy conditions, it would fail
And yes Gan devices have their own heat pad underneath which is sweated to the ground plane of the PCB. But that will be in every case that they are used in, your not going to twist it any other way.!!!!
https://ibb.co/jTWd9nxI tend to believe the manufacture of the board, EPC and it’s designer Steve Colino, who stated only heatsinking is required on these GaN devices if the switching frequency is raised. Not by what you say.
And from Merrill Audio who use the higher switching speed
" Internally the Element 118 Power Amplifier Monoblock PCB boards are manufactured to the highest excellence available and further engineered for sustaining a most stable temperature distribution. Using 8 pounds of pure copper per monoblock, the highly refined heat distribution system maintains a steady temperature environment on the PCB boards, a condition absolutely essential for linear operation."