Class D Technology

     Hello mitch2,

      From some of your past replies on other threads, I remember learning of your disappointments with the performance of some high quality class D amps you've tried in your system.  From what I've read, however, the class A Lamm and Clayton amps sound and perform about as good or better than just about any other amps, regardless of amp type.  I also believe they're both much more expensive mono-block amps than the Acoustic Imagery and many of the other higher quality class D amps. 
     So, I just wanted to point out that class D amps offer what I believe many would consider very good full range sound quality, typically at a very reasonable price and, therefore, would be considered a better bargain and amp option by those with limited budgets.  
     Yes, the main benefits of current class D amps are still power and control, unsurpassed electrical efficiency, ridiculously low distortion and noise floor levels, extremely small size, weight, operating temperatures and relative price. 
     Sure, their overall full range sound quality may not currently and universally be considered the best in absolute terms.  As class D technology continues its steady upward trend in overall full range sound quality performance in absolute terms, however, I believe it currently represents the best, and certainly the most affordable, pathway to high-end sound quality. 
      In my opinion, it'll also likely just be a matter of time before it's universally considered the premiere amp type, especially considering its near-future DSP technology inclusion and potential.  It should at least be very interesting.

Tim  

Tim
Class D absolutely rocks watts per dollar (except of course for gallium-nitride transistor versions) so if they get the other stuff sorted they will be hard to beat.  My only comparisons were the Acoustic Imagery Atsah which are a Ncore NC1200 implementation that I owned for over a year, and H20 amps that I had here for a very short time.  I was initially impressed with the NC1200 Atsahs because of their dense tonality and hard hitting bass but after a longer period of listening and comparing there seemed to be something just a little off, or missing.  It took me a bit to figure out that my issue was with spatial cues that lead to realism.  The NC1200 amplifiers were not inexpensive when they first came out and even the Atsahs at the lower end of NC1200 were still $10K.    
As to Class A, that doesn't necessarily get everyone to the finish line either, even if you neglect the heat and electrical costs.  So much is related to amplifier-speaker synergy as well as the types of music preferred by the listener.  In my case, the Lamms were not powerful enough to adequately drive my power-hungry Aerial speakers on the rock, pop, and blues music I most often listen to.  The Claytons were much closer at 300wpc and they were just outstanding on tone but still displayed a bit of reticence on particularly dynamic passages.  There are always trade-offs.  My upgraded SMc/McCormack Class AB monos finally gave me enough clean power to properly drive my speakers through the most dynamic music, while also getting me sonically close to the dense tone, staging, and extension provided by the Class A Claytons.  They are not necessarily better amplifiers than the Claytons but for my situation, speakers, and musical/listening preferences they are.  

+1 noble100, I was an enthusiast of class D amplification from the start. I replaced my (medium quality) class AB amp (Cambridge A3i) with one of the first class D amps (Rowland 102) based on the one of the cheapest Icepower modules (200ASC) and was very impressed. Recently I replaced it with class AB Benchmark AHB2 rated class A in Stereophile. It is a better (wonderful) amp overall (cleaner, better extensions etc.), but the difference was small, taking into consideration 3x higher cost (in comparison to Rowland that was well made and expensive). Class D technology is only going to improve in time while everything else is pretty much done. There are still some new designs, like my Benchmark AHB2 amps, that dissipate less and have non-recursive NFB, but class D is the future IMHO.

One of my friends is getting a pair of 48V Desktop Cherrys likely next week.  Unless we are in total lockdown, the plan is to try it out at his place, mine and one of our friends in our social bubble. Our friend is running Maggie 20.7s so should be interesting to see how it does. I have wanted to try them out for some time, but wasn't looking for anything new in amplification.

Hello mitch2,

     You've utilized quite a few good and varied amps with your Aerial speakers. I've had much more limited amp experience, only using high current class AB amps (Adcom,McCormack and Aragon) initially and then several  different high-powered class D amps subsequently with  Magnepan speakers, my favorite being my current pair of D-Sonic monoblocks. 
     It seems like class D amps have been a better match with my speakers than they've been with yours.  I was actually considering buying a pair of Acoustic Imagery Atsah monoblocks before I decided to go with the DSonic M3-600-M monoblocks because they were almost $7K less expensive and had gotten good reviews here from some members. 
     They've performed great for me,outperforming my former class AB stereo amps in virtually all the sound qualities I consider important. But I'd still love to try out a good quality class A amp with my speakers since I've never used one and mainly out of curiosity about performance differences I'd perceive. OTOH, I'm currently completely satisfied with the D-Sonic class D monos and have no desire to actually switch amps; they're 1,200 w at 4 ohms, have a very low noise floor, are highly detailed, very dynamic, always smooth, natural and never harsh in the treble plus I'm able to leave them on 24/7. 

Hello kijanki,

     Yes, I've read several very positive reviews on the Benchmark AHB2 class AB amp.  One review that I found very interesting was a review of the AHB2 combined with the Benchmark LA4 preamp.I remember the review because it combined something I've always wanted to try out in my system, a very neutral, detailed, low distortion and low noise amp with a preamp having the exact same qualities. 
     I was seriously considering buying the LA4 preamp to try out with my very neutral, detailed, low distortion and low noise class D amps about a year ago.  But I was offered a Mark Levinson S326 preamp, that's also very neutral, detailed, low distortion and low noise, at a very good price and I bought that instead.  So, I was still able to try out the neutral, detailed, low distortion and low noise amps and preamp combo concept. 
     It's provided very good results in my system, using mainly hi-res sources through a Lumin D2 dac/streamer.  The overall sound is very neutral and detailed but it also really lets the qualities of the recording and music become the focus with a highly realistic and 3 dimensional sound stage that has the musicians seemingly playing in the room.  It's very palpable, detailed and enjoyable, especially on good recordings.

Tim