Time to buy a class D amp?

Merry Christmas and Happy new Year to all.
@noble100 
@georgehifi 
When listening to a system, a person can decide whether this is their sound or not.  A year ago, I auditioned the top Devialet amp, and thought "this is not my sound"  I had a similar feeling with McIntosh Labs setup 25 years ago. This never means they are bad products, but they are not for me.  In the domain of hi-fi, each person has their sound as much as they have their music. Even in theatres, we have a preference for certain seats over others. Our ears are the judge and though we casually ask friends and family for their views, the ultimate decisions remains one's own ears.  

Also, a system sounds as good as its weakest component. So, this is why reviewers list associated equipment including cables in order to contextualise their verdict on the item being reviewed. 

In my time, I owned tubes, hybrids, pure class A, AB, and D.  For power amplification, I currently have two listening spaces, one with an AB amp, the other with D monoblocs. The D monoblocs sound great.  There is no noise, no distortion, and I do not have to keep them on 24/7.  

 I currently have two listening spaces, one with an AB amp, the other with D monoblocs. The D monoblocs sound great.

Ok I'll bite, which do you prefer the "sound of" forget everything else?

Cheers George

Hello serhan62,

     I've become a big fan of class D amps through research and personal experience gained by using several examples in my own system.  But I believe all amp types have their pros, cons, compromises and limitations and that class D amps are not the best choice for everyone.
     I believe it's very important to match the amp(s) used to one's speakers while also considering one's personal preferences and tastes.  I understand the truth is that all amp types are capable of providing excellent sound quality and performance results when properly matched to one's speakers but that all amp types are not suitable for all speaker types.  
     I also know that, once an individual discovers a good match between amp(s) and their speakers that performs well and they enjoy the sound quality of or even numerous combinations, I have absolutely no interest or concern in dissuading them from utilizing that combination or combinations.

Tim

Thanks for the post Erik, I had not seen that NP article. There were some good papers in the 70s on current source amps.


I agree with Atmosphere, you can overdamp some speakers. I am not sure I totally agree with your and his explanation wrt how bass notes behave or wrt what is natural, but agree there is an effect and it may not be pleasant.


It's a complex interaction of mechanical resonance, electrical resonance, and mechanical and electrical damping which occurs when you try to stop a woofer faster than it is physically capable of.

audiozenology:" It's a complex interaction of mechanical resonance, electrical resonance, and mechanical and electrical damping which occurs when you try to stop a woofer faster than it is physically capable of."

Hello audiozenology,

     I believe a thorough comprehension of how excessively high damping factors effect bass sound quality requires less concentration on how complex the interaction of forces are and more on the fact that an amp with high damping factors results in it having very firm control over the starting and stopping of a woofer in a conventional dynamic speaker and the bass diaphragm section of a planar-magnetic or electrostatic panel speaker. 
     The critical part is to have a thorough understanding that it's the amp's firm control over the bass transducers that can cause truncated bass tone decays and that a thorough understanding of the exact complex interactions involved are less important. 

Tim