This has been a very interesting thread. I've learned about all manner of great class D manufacturers. Good stuff.
Class D for a Tube Lover
First, I'm sure this has been asked many times but searching the subject wasn't too helpful to me.
So apologies in advance.
I enjoy tubed electronics and class A amps, which tend to be a bit warm. My current Cary 805s warm my small (12x16) music room even in the cool/cold of winter. I've got other amps that don't produce much heat, but am looking for something that produces no heat. Living in a home with no central AC the room gets uncomfortably hot during the summer months.
So...I'd like to try some Class D amps. Stereo or mono is just fine. And my speakers aren't difficult to drive so I don't need a thousand watts. But if that thousand watt amp sounds great, I'm not adverse to that, either.
I'd like to keep the price under 2k used.
Please help.
Thanks.
So apologies in advance.
I enjoy tubed electronics and class A amps, which tend to be a bit warm. My current Cary 805s warm my small (12x16) music room even in the cool/cold of winter. I've got other amps that don't produce much heat, but am looking for something that produces no heat. Living in a home with no central AC the room gets uncomfortably hot during the summer months.
So...I'd like to try some Class D amps. Stereo or mono is just fine. And my speakers aren't difficult to drive so I don't need a thousand watts. But if that thousand watt amp sounds great, I'm not adverse to that, either.
I'd like to keep the price under 2k used.
Please help.
Thanks.
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- 125 posts total
While my experience with Class D is limited. I've owned some Bel Canto DACs and integrated amps. While really trying to love them due to small footprint, low power consumption, etc... It just didn't do it for me. I went back to tubes. The closest I've heard to a warm musical experience was Jeff Rowland class D amps. I didn't own them, it was in a stereo shop and the system and room was set up just right. However, after that the salesperson played the Quicksilver integrated amp through some Watt Puppies and my jaw hit the floor. Here's an article regarding the Jeff Rowland and the author comes to the same conclusion that Class D is close, just not yet. https://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/review/analog-reviews/amplifier-reviews/jeff-rowland-class-ab-and-c... |
While class D may give a clear very low distortion sound, tubes would always add a notable (for me) distortion that ruins class D clean sound. I prefer to use either pure tube setting or pure SS setting as I enjoy both kinds of sounds. Mixing tubes with class D gives some extra warmth but also a notable distortion which, for me, they are not compatible.Hm. You need to hear better preamps! The way to limit distortion (and colorations) with tubes is not unlike how you would do it with transistors- go fully differential. This keeps the even ordered harmonics down (part of the 'tube' sound) allowing for far more transparency. If you have such a preamp it can work fine with the very transparent class D amps that are now available. |
$2k is not much , Underwood wally has still Wired4 sound integrated amps for around $1500 that originally were $2500 and pretty respectable forthe money . Class D I have seen at $30 K like Merrill audio waay over priced !class D should be fair priced gan transistors are great new technology buy they are not That expensive.the markup is in their engineering . I am very happy with the Coda CSIB integrated vs any class D, or other class amplifiers. |
- 125 posts total