Purifi Class D: Junk?

It is a fact that the middle of the herd is not the top of the mountain or the peak of endeavor.

No matter how much the middle of the herd may look around and try to convince itself of that by looking at those (others) which may be similar and comfortable.

Hearing is one of those things that is not perfected in measurement or meaning, not by a long shot. Therefore we have no perfect correlation in measurement that can fit what we hear. Hearing is a thign that is a massive variable in quality and capacity tied to the brain, in discernment, a variance a great as the variances in human intelligence. And human intelligence can span a difference as large as a million to one, in cognitive speed differences. Seriously. that huge a range. (add 5 IQ points, halve the cognition rate or speed). Hearing is tied to this, and is similar. not the same, bit similar. connected to it. Thus hearing has a IQ connection or quotient of a sort. Not all ear/brains are the same. There is a range, of capacity, for discernment. differences between individuals.
To add, part of our hearing is self trained, self created.

So.....the map is not the territory. This point is ultra critical to understand.

But we can still have peaks and we can still have average. 

And it is noted that the average of what Class D is, has not yet taken over the peak of quality in the world of high performance audio. Specifically, it is not at the peak..for the ears that want that mountain peak of quality.

It may do so in the future and it may not. Who knows. The peak may move further away from where class D is headed. It’s a moving, living, breathing, growing, changing target.

I’ve torn down Class D amps and spent about 2 years of my life, off and on, trying to make it sound better. Via analyzing the electronic parts, their function and what they are doing wrong, and what changes are needed and then doing what I can.

To improve the correlation between what they do and the psycho-acoustic model of the ear, what that ear requires. And I made some great Class D amplifiers. So good that many folks thought the modded out versions that made it to an audio show, were among the best they’d ever heard. If not the best.

But they still did not compete with the best of the standard model of audio amplification, be it class A or class a/b, or tube based versions. They just don’t have it. I could get into the psycho-acoustic modelling and how that compares to what Class D is doing wrong, and how to deal with it re changes to the design of class D, and that would help people a lot. It would help designers and end users.

But that information is valuable, hard fought for... and it is my life blood in the world of putting food on my table ----and this is business.

Some day, Class-D, some day. Never Know. But.. not yet..not yet.

That is your opinion based on your experience......this is great.....I respect that. However, read the reviews of the Technics, AGD, Merrill and LKV class D amps.....those reviewers are NOT saying what you are. They think these very latest (and expensive.....starting at $7500) do compete directly or are even better than their money equivalent class A, class A/B or tube amps. Please read the reviews. The goal now, is to make a lower priced amp that is as good. I hope mine is. We will find out soon.

I am not saying the best of the latest Class D is as good as the very latest most expensive class A or A/B amps. The most expensive cllasss D I mentioned are the Merrill 118s at $36K. There are lots of exotic amps above that price point....like the big Dagostino, Constellation, Gryphon, Audionet, Boulder, Dartzeel, VAC, etc. etc. Yes, some of these exotica are no doubt better in some ways than the above mentioned Class D amps. However, most reading this will never buy......nor can afford any of these amps. But if there can be a class D amp under $3K that competes with $20K amps....then a lot of people will get really good sound (and less heat) for something most of us reading this can afford.

I wouldn’t begin to seriously judge any new audio component until it has at least 100 hours of actual playing time on it — preferably 200 hours.  24 hours?  C’mon man.  Give the thing at least a fighting chance before you finish prejudging it.  Jeez.

So, the question is, does this VTV really represent a baseline of what the latest class D can do? The LKV seems interesting but for that money you could get a used Mark Levinson 585, will this really compete? Also in that price range is the big Cherry amp with a beefy linear power supply. Frankly this price point seems way too high. If they can compete with good A or A/B designs at the same price point that would be one thing. But the Stratos is by no means a pinnacle amp, not even close. If the VTV can at least compete with the Stratos which I bought used for $800 shipped than I may switch over to VTV or something similar, perhaps get @ricevs to mod it, and then see where the upgrade road takes me from there.

The other factor is there can't be listening fatigue. That's something I can only judge with long-term listening. I don't care how impressive the sound is technically, if its fatiguing than it's TRASH even if it costs $1.50.

I trust what George (and everyone) says about what he/they actually hears.....I do not trust what he/they says about things that he/they has not heard

One needs both listening/measuring, you need to back up what your hearing with measurement’s otherwise your just saying "trust me" I heard it which is subjective only.

To all buying/modding anything, there’s not one piece of half decent audio equipment that’s any good, that has not been designed using all the EE laws and test/measurement procedures, if it hasn’t I would give them a wide berth. Especially modders that don’t give any EE measurement/bench test proof on what they’ve done to back up their subjective mods, these guys are just "snake oilers" and usually fusers saying trust me.

Cheers George