Purifi Class D: Junk?

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

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

Really?  Not one?  Huh.  Guess they all must be perfectly designed then — and certainly no room for further improvement.  There are these pesky things called cost constraints though.  

these guys are just "snake oilers" and usually fusers saying trust me.

Well that’s just an over-generalized and ignorant statement.  Not everything that provides an improvement is necessarily measurable.  You don’t like guys who mod equipment.  Fine.  That doesn’t mean all or most of them are bad.  If they’re not good they fail, and if they’re good they do well like any other business.  The market is the final arbiter of whether a mod is “snake oil” or not.  Not you.