Class D Technology

+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   
         
     

Thanks Tim for the positive comments on D-Sonic.  I am soon going to need to replace an aging 1984 era NAD 2140 that powers my outdoor system and I have been keeping an eye on D-Sonic for that purpose.

Hadn’t thought of DSonic in a while but looks like they are still offering a lot of bang for the buck.

Nice website.....lots of useful specs and measurements.

What Class D modules do they use these days?