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Time to buy a class D amp?


Will some new class D amplifiers outperforming the current ones appear soon

(the newest ones i know were released a  few years ago)?

Class D amps attract me as I consider them the most ecological ones with obvious non-auditionable benefits.

I have no doubts that they posses the maximum ratio performance/sound quality among the amplifiers of all classes.

At the same time, the sound quality the class D amplifiers that I have auditioned produce, although is quite good,

but not yet ideal (for my taste).


I use PS Audio Stellar S300 amp with PS audio Gain Cell pre/DAC with Thiel CS 3.6 speakers in one of my systems.

The sound is ok (deep bass, clear soundstage) but not perfect (a bit bright and somehow dry, lacking warmness which might be more or less ok for rock but not for jazz music).

I wonder if there are softer sounding class D amps with the same or better details and resolution. Considering two reasonable (as to the budget) choices for test, Red Dragon S500 and Digital Audio Company's

Cherry  2 (or Maraschino monoblocks), did anybody compare these two?



128x128niodari
noble100's avatar
noble100
2,419 posts
 
Hello niodari,

     Sorry, I forgot you're in Mexico.  I'll be down in a couple days and I'll bring the amps.  Don't worry, my wife and I will be out of your place by Spring.  Winters are a bit cold up here.
     Looking forward to your impressions.  I've been reading about the Cherry Megaschino and it seems like a good one.

Best wishes,
    Tim
  
willgolf
937 posts
 
Noble100....see my new listing on Mola Mola Kaluga and Makua.  
imaging1's avatar
imaging1
57 posts
 

Without DOUBT! These amps/ preamps are slowly becoming the STANDARD by which others MAY SOON Be JUDGED!Our plethora of review products in the past year ARE SHOUTING TO BE HEARD!!

https://www.thesoundadvocate.com/equipment-reviews/amplification/
golfnutz
231 posts
 
Sorry @hm1 (Howard Milstein) but not a single negative comments in any of your reviews that I read. They all appear to be written as advertisements. 

Here's a good example of what I mean (W4S mINT review):

Out of curiosity, I decided to laboriously drag out my almost 40-year-old vintage Spendor BC3, loudspeakers (known to have a pretty horrendous impedance curve as many of the finest amps sound quite unhappy trying to drive it). To my surprise, the Mint made this speaker ‘sing’ like I had not heard in many years! 

Horrendous impedance?

Since when is 8 ohms and SPL of 105 dBA  Horrendous? ANY Class-D amp should have no sweat driving these speakers.

Specifications:
Type.................................four-way, floorstanding loudspeaker
L.F unit............................Spendor 12 inch (plastic cone)
M.F unit...........................Spendor 8 inch (1.5 inch voice coil, plactic coil)
H.F unit...........................Celestion Type HF 1300 and type HF 2000
Crossover points.............700Hz to 3kHz to 13kHz
Impedance......................8 ohm
Frequency range............30Hz to 20kHz
Frequency response......+/- 2.5dB, 50Hz to 14kHz
Power rating...................70 Watts
Sensitivity.....................  +2.5dB relative to 1dyne/cm square/volts applied
Sound pressure level.....105 dBA
Connection...................."XLR" 4pin
Weight............................75lbs

adurerca
38 posts
 
Dang, that Mola Mola listing by Willgolf would be a nice catch by someone that can afford it. The benefits of depreciation but with something unused.

I am really enjoying my first foray into Class D. I swapped out the fuse for an SR Orange and added a Wireworld Electra power cable. Even Spotify sounds surprisingly great (to me).

With no music playing, my speakers are dead quiet, no ocean noise. The only thing I am missing from my previous class A is the heat it would be pumping into my living room during these frosty Southern Cal Winter evenings.
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