Class-D Audio USA have just released their new GaN amp at the CES
On Jan 23, 2020 at 6:14 PM, Sales <sales@classdaudio.com> wrote:
Hi George,
Yes, our new GaN amp was just at the CES show a few weeks ago, and was a big success. If you email me tomorrow and remind me, I can provide more information... I’ll try to remember to email when I get to work, but sometimes I get pulled many directions when I get there.
Tom
Their main website is very dead and empty of product, it says reconstructing https://www.classdaudio.com/ The new GaN poweramp is $699!!!!! Is on their premium website, same problems as above https://ibb.co/jy8wpNS https://premium-audio.com/ Cheers George |
I don't know if you are asking about the class D audio or the AGD......but I emailed Tom at Class D audio a week ago and here is the latest info on class D audio GaN amps: The $1600 amp is going through a revision (release time unknown). There is a $700 GaN amp that will soon be released. Just finishing the powder coating now.....then to silk screening....then to final testing and then shipping. It will be 150 watts a channel, 100K input impedance, 3 position gain, balanced and unbalanced inputs and uses a switching power supply to keep the cost and size down. It is 10 inches wide and 2 inches tall. Will be the cheapest GaN amp available. Should be fun. https://premium-audio.com/ Let the page load and then it will scroll to show a pic of the new baby amp (labeled "The Giant"). |
Before Covid-19 i was able to audition just about every Class-D amp available. To ME they have all sounded like SS on steroids and unnatural much like when CD players first hit the market. My question, do these GaN Class-d amps sound real and natural? Or are they bringing more of the same just in a different package? I could careless about the tech the sound could be coming out of the exhaust of a Ford Pinto i don`t care but it needs to sound real. |
Did you listen to Merrill, AGD, latest and best Nuprime, the best Cherry, modded Purifi, modded IceEdge, Technics biggie? All these were available before Covid except the modded Purifi. The very best of the latest Class D sound very neutral. If you are a tube person, or a super lush class A person, then you will still might find some of them lacking in warmth. However, if your system is tweaked so you don't "need" a warm amp to balance it then you can get goosebumps. Many find they like a tube preamp with a class D amp....and that gives them the magic they want. I lower the distortion in my system so that I can run a solid state DAC right into my class D amp and get super NATURAL sound. When some people say "real" they are talking about a sound I would call colored. I once ran a solid state phono stage directly to my amp and then inserted a Modulus line stage (just the output stage....no pot, no switching, etc.). It sounded way more real with the tube in the chain. It was adding its own coloration....that made the music sound more real because I did not have a great source. Turns out that my Ariston turntable was real grainy and my phono stage was not great either. But if you tweak your system for super low distortion then the very latest class D can give you chills and thrills. |
Very good analogy, and still have a way to go just like CD did. Technics with the SE-R1 have advanced it more than anyone, others to me have just gone sideways. Don’t think, even these USA made GaN poweramps for $699!!! are going to be the answer either https://ibb.co/jy8wpNS https://premium-audio.com/ Cheers George |
