Again the topic of weight of amps


I see this has been covered but not recently.
I have had a few amps in the 100+ pound range.
I liked them enormously but I am in a small space and am tired of dealing with these behemoths when I need to move them around and the real estate they take up. They were all wonderful in their way and I would like to have kept them but for their immobility. But can one find true love after such heavy weights with a feather weight 55 pounder?
Have technological advances in 2019 made such a thing possible? I had a pass 350.8 which I loved but you can't keep a Stonehenge rock in an apartment living room.

roxy1927
I agree with clearthink on the issue of Class D amps. Havent heard one yet that I have liked. 
@ebm You're long overdue to post your system on here that Audia amp sounds very cool!
@roxy1927 Unless I missed it you didn't say what speakers you'll be driving with your new amp?
Like any amp, some people like certain Class D amps and some do not. Some do not like any though I would tend to doubt they have heard them all. Only way to find out is to identify candidates and try one like I did to test the waters.

Nevertheless, they do solve the size and weight problem and that was a big reason why I decided to try. That and see what the latest, greatest technology could do compared to others.

Myself, I have three now ranging in price from $85 to $6000 retail and have been listening contently with these now for ~ 10 years, and I’ve pretty much heard it all over the years.


I certainly havent heard them all but I have heard some which were considered top shelf. What I find encouraging is that a well know tube preamp/amp manufacturer who I really respect is experimenting with these type of amps.
clearthink: "Class d is ok for subwoofer amplifiers at least until you compare them to something better such as Bryston or Pass."

jsautter: "I agree with clearthink on the issue of Class D amps. Havent heard one yet that I have liked."

Hello clearthink and jsautter,

It’s funny how outdated you both sound. There’s been very good class D amps on the market for at least the last 5 years, maybe longer, such as Bel Canto, Merrill Audio, D-Sonic, Red Dragon, Wyred 4 Sound, Channel Islands, any of the DIY amp kits using the Hypex NCore power modules and others I’m probably forgetting. You both obviously just lack the experience of listening to a good class D amp. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know, right?
It’s just a shame that, with no experience listening to good class D amps, you’re both willing to spread outdated and no longer accurate information. It is true that they all generally have exceptionally good bass response, when compared to the other traditional amp types, since they typically have very high damping factors.
What you both apparently don’t realize however, is that good class D amps generally share other qualities such as very low distortion and background noise levels which results in very high levels of detail, very high power and dynamic range capacity, very neutral sonic presentations with nothing added or subtracted from the inputted signals as well as midrange and treble responses that are detailed, accurate and natural without being harsh or bright.
The above is an accurate description of what I’ve experienced owning and listening to good class D amps both in my own system and many others I’ve listened to. Hopefully, both of you will be able to listen to a good class D amp soon to update and broaden your knowledge and experience.
Oh yeah, I just realized I almost forgot to mention all the other non-sound quality benefits of class D amps, which are relative affordability, small size, low weight, high electrical efficiency, low electricity consumption and low operating temps.

Tim