High end Class D amps?

George is coming from a position of near 0 experience

Really??? so you think a Class-D with a tube rectified power supply and a chassis stuffed with pillow fill is the answer to the woes Class-D has?. Good luck with that sunshine.

I tried to tell you the answer, with higher switching frequency (3x the norm at 1.5mhz) using GaN output transistors as Technics did with the $$$$$ SE-R1 so that then switching frequency output filter can then be set also 3 x higher thus stopping any phase shift down to 1khz as it is now with all Class-D’s
  
As for driving low impedance combined EPDR even lower, not even the GaN can compete with bi-polar A/B amps there, they still rule the roost.   

Cheers George

George is correct. Lack of switching bandwidth is the problem. I know Bruno Putzeys claimed differently in an old interview, but he's mostly a self-promotor so no one should take what he says as gospel truth.

I tried the low-end Technics integrated which only had around 800 or 900 kHz of bandwidth and was generally unimpressed even if it wasn't terrible. There is going to be a huge difference between that and the SE-R1 which I haven't listened to.

I also own a Cherry amp, the older lower end one with the external power brick. I was told Cherry was the revolution of class D, etc etc. It wasn't THAT bad, but it didn't hold a candle to my Odyssey Stratos. It's currently on PC speaker duty.

I don't think you guys really appreciate how deadly to euphonics that traditional class D output filter is. I didn't start out hating class D I developed that position after being burned many times being told this or that class D module was the revolutionary savior of the topology. I remain interested in GaNFET because it seems like that is what will finally be able to pull class D into the realm of quality audio.

I generally think of the Odyssey units more as PA amplifiers than serious audiophile gear. Throw lots of brute force at a problem, but not a lot of finesse ending up with a "warm" but bloated sounding box.  If that is the sound you like, then I am not surprised the Cherry was not to your liking. It is transparent, not "euphonic".

 Bruno is a promoter, but unlike many in the audio industry, actually has the technical chops to put something together.


Switching frequency was important 10+ years ago before people figured out putting the filter inside the feedback loop.

The claim the output filter is "deadly" to euphonics, again is "old" knowledge, see last comment about the placement of the filter in new higher end class-D amplifiers, not to mention a bit better practical understanding of how to tune class-D filters, however, keep in mind the filter is to keep ultrasonics out of the speaker.

You have absolutely no idea, your burying your self with your own brand of **** ****

@audio2design Okay what class D amp today can beat my Stratos? I can’t have fatiguing sound. Does the little Cherry just lack juice? My speakers are ProAc D30R.

Edit: it's a Stereo Maraschino with an external power brick, less than the 48V listed on the website but I forget the exact value.