Class D is just Dandy!
im thinking of the Peachtree Nova 150 I remember the Peachtree importer a friend of mine here in Australia demo’ing me a pair of midrange floor standing Focals to be our Audio Clubs "house" speaker, which he also imports, as well as Krell amps. He was using the Peachtree at the time because he had no Krell’s handy, and quietly said to me the Peachtree isn’t very good, you should hear these Focal’s with the small integrated Krell feeding them. Cheers George |
Hello All, I was long hoping to evaluate the Rowland Daemon 1500W Superintegrated amp. Could a class D integrated fulfill my yearning for sonic nirvana, or would Daemon leave me pining for the wonderful music of my separates: Rowland Aeris DAC fed by the ultra-capacitor-based PSU external power supply, driving my beloved M925 monoblocks? Eventually, a Daemon review unit was delivered on February 28th. I Started break-in the following day, and have been scribbling my listening notes since… The writing project will continue for at least a few months, until the device has stabilized, and I have exercised several of its many input and output features. I have been waiting for a long time for this 99Lbs single box critter. It is Jeff Rowland’s integrated statement. The DAC + Preamp + 1500W/8 (2500W/4) dual-mono power amp in a single chassis measuring 17.5” x 15.25” x 9.5” is sounding amazing after just a little more than a couple hundred hours of break-in.
Discovering the phenomenal musical beauty that Daemon produces is being a fascinating experience… Already I am stunned by Daemon's power reserve and unreal tonal grace. Join me to chat about my adventure with this integrated flagship around its new Audiogon watering-hole:
And, feel free to PM me with any questions about it.
Saluti, Guido |
GaN transisitors don’t cost any more than mosfets. People are charging more for GaN amps because it is the latest buzzword and they are first out so they gouge you. The EPC GaN fet recommended by EPC for audio use costs $1.05 each at 100 quantity. Hardly expensive. At the most 4 per channel....so that is $9. GaN amps will be available from China for a few hundred dollars.....I have no doubt. However, they have to design the circuit from the ground up.....so will take a little while to come. The big manufacturers are slow and conservative (Hypex, IcePower, Pascal, etc.). It takes a sledgehammer to get these guys to try something new and then it takes years for them to develop it. It will be just small companies for awhile with GaN amps.....but hopefully, the big guys will get on board. TI and Infineon, etc. make class D amp chips as well. Maybe they will be first to come out with a GaN version......then you will see things like this: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/IRS2092S-Mono-Channel-Digital-Amplifier-Class_62169638554.html?spm=a2700.pc_countrysearch.main07.99.3d202a3c3TR7hg The above is an Infineon class d driver and some IRF mosfets.....cheap enough for you? Maybe the 2092 can drive GaNs? Fun stuff ahead. |
Personally, I think it's a horrible thing to price out a product based on component costs. I think everyone would be horrified if we did this consistently across audio. There's more to a high frequency design than the cost of the transistors. PCB layout must be done meticulously, and test failures common, so R&D matters. Still, having said that, Class-D amplifiers are quite good already. Better than some Class A amps, worse than some Class A/B. If there are actually audible benefits to GaN based amplifiers I look forward to hearing them. |
