What Class D amps will drive a 2 ohm load

As per bel canto - their Black Integrated ACI 600's output is stable into a 2 ohm minimum load.

As per Devialet - their Expert Pro Dual 1000's and 440's output are both stable into a 1 ohm minimum load.

I recently shopped / compared all 3 and found them to be excellent sounding and aesthetically pleasing Class D & Class A/D Integrateds.

I just saw the impedance curve. Wow, that's pretty brutal. I would love to see the schematics for this beastie and see if it can be made more amplifier friendly.


On another note, one thing I've found about amps and low impedance in the bass:



- Amps can be more susceptible to sounding weak due to low impedance than you'd think.
- This is easily audible. Basically pick the amp that produces the deepest tightest bass. :)
- Sometimes speakers have horrible impedance issues for lack of better simulation tools (i.e. old speakers designed empirically) and sometimes they get there to make them seem more demanding. Audiophiles often equate a demanding speaker with a better speaker.



To the OP: Buy what you like, I think the impedance issue, so long as it meets the amps minimum impedance requirements, will be something you can 100% hear for yourself, either way.

Best,

E

I just saw the impedance curve. Wow, that’s pretty brutal.

They do do this for laughs do they?.
Put it this way, what advantage is there for a speaker manufacturer like Wilson, Thiel, ML esl’s, MBL, Sonus Faber JM labs ect ect ect ect to make their speakers so hard to drive, because complexity of design, complex xovers used, that you have to spend big bucks on an amp with enough current to be able drive them.

THE ANSWER IS NONE!! They do it to make them as close to perfect as possible, and reward is reaped when driven right with as little compromises as possible.
If you want a gutless amp then look for a speaker to suit, they in most cases won’t be designed like the ones above.

If you want a gutless amp then look for a speaker to suit, they in most cases won’t be designed like the ones above.

@georgehifi 
 I ask you to provide a list of amps that have guts. I request this, despite it possibly being beneath your dignity.-But, only to provide those less knowledgeable valuable information.
B

Hey OP.

Ideally, amplifiers are pure voltage sources. That is, the voltage at the speaker terminals is 100% determined by the input from your sources. Usually there's a multiplier, around 20.
So, 1 V in ---> 20V out.

But as the impedance of the amplifier rises, and the impedance of the speaker drops, this drops:
1 V in --> 18 V out.

And it can be frequency dependent, because the speaker's impedance is frequency dependent.

Take a look at the very first plot from this review:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/conrad-johnson-premier-twelve-monoblock-amplifier-measurements
and you'll see how this happens with tubes, with notoriously high impedance outputs. 

This is not the whole story though, as amplifier feedback matters, so it may be that the amps can keep up but only to a certain current limit.


That's why I was strongly encouraging you to listen. If your Class D amp is rated for 2 Ohms, go by your hearing, not spec or class. If it has an actual issue you'll hear it.