mac742:”Just in case anyone wants a good deal on the part-express (Dayton) SA-1000 power amp that Audiokinesis supplies with the Swarm is on sale for $374 bucks - the sale ends on April 30, so jump if ya want one at parts-express.com. Regular price is $549.”
The Dayton SA-1000 amp control unit was also included with my Audio Kinesis Debra 4-sub DBA System. I think this amp is a good performer whether you’re using an AK Swarm/Debra 4-sub DBA system or creating your own custom DBA using 4 spassive subs of your choice.
The SA-1000 has plenty of power at 1,000 watts, has the required 3 controls for volume, crossover frequency and continuously variable phase and it is a class AB amp rather than a class D amp which I believe reproduces bass more realistically and naturally.
I’ve never read other members discussing the differences they perceive between subs powered by class AB vs class D amps but, based on my experiences, I do notice differences. Prior to purchasing my AK Debra 4-sub DBA, I tried using numerous pairs of good quality self-amplified subs all powered by class D plate amps In my room and system. Right away I noticed that 2 subs performed and sounded much better than a single sub and integrated more seamlessly with my fast and very detailed Magnepan Main speakers. The bass was very powerful, dynamic, detailed, smooth, fast ad very taut and tight. Overall, I enjoyed it very much.
With the installation of the AK Debra 4-sub DBA, all the bass quality improvements I noticed with the use of 2 self-class D amplified subs were even further enhanced with the exception that most of the bass tautness and tightness was gone. Initially I missed this bass tautness and tightness but, the more I listened to the 4-sub DBA, the more I realized that the class D amplified subs were adding this quality to the bass. After listening to several music tracks of different genres, I determined that the Dayton SA-1000 powered subs sounded more natural to me, especially when I focused on bass note decays. The decays through the class D amps sound truncated in comparison to the naturally diminishing decays through the Dayton SA-1000 class AB amp. My theory is that the differences can be explained by the different Damping Factors of class AB amps, typically in the 100-400 range, and class D amps, typically well over 600 and often over 1000. The higher an amplifier’s damping factor, the greater control it has over starting and stopping a woofer’s movement.
Tim
The Dayton SA-1000 amp control unit was also included with my Audio Kinesis Debra 4-sub DBA System. I think this amp is a good performer whether you’re using an AK Swarm/Debra 4-sub DBA system or creating your own custom DBA using 4 spassive subs of your choice.
The SA-1000 has plenty of power at 1,000 watts, has the required 3 controls for volume, crossover frequency and continuously variable phase and it is a class AB amp rather than a class D amp which I believe reproduces bass more realistically and naturally.
I’ve never read other members discussing the differences they perceive between subs powered by class AB vs class D amps but, based on my experiences, I do notice differences. Prior to purchasing my AK Debra 4-sub DBA, I tried using numerous pairs of good quality self-amplified subs all powered by class D plate amps In my room and system. Right away I noticed that 2 subs performed and sounded much better than a single sub and integrated more seamlessly with my fast and very detailed Magnepan Main speakers. The bass was very powerful, dynamic, detailed, smooth, fast ad very taut and tight. Overall, I enjoyed it very much.
With the installation of the AK Debra 4-sub DBA, all the bass quality improvements I noticed with the use of 2 self-class D amplified subs were even further enhanced with the exception that most of the bass tautness and tightness was gone. Initially I missed this bass tautness and tightness but, the more I listened to the 4-sub DBA, the more I realized that the class D amplified subs were adding this quality to the bass. After listening to several music tracks of different genres, I determined that the Dayton SA-1000 powered subs sounded more natural to me, especially when I focused on bass note decays. The decays through the class D amps sound truncated in comparison to the naturally diminishing decays through the Dayton SA-1000 class AB amp. My theory is that the differences can be explained by the different Damping Factors of class AB amps, typically in the 100-400 range, and class D amps, typically well over 600 and often over 1000. The higher an amplifier’s damping factor, the greater control it has over starting and stopping a woofer’s movement.
Tim