2. amps-preamps
  3. 165827-20253

My NAD 3020 D proves your Class D tropes are wrong

I have a desktop integrated, the NAD 3020D which I use with custom near field monitors. It is being fed by Roon via a Squeezebox Touch and coaxial digital.

It is 5 years old and it sounds great. None of the standard myths of bad Class D sound exist here. It may lack the tube like liquid midrange of my Luxman, or the warmth of my prior Parasound but no one in this forum could hear it and go "aha, Class D!!" by itself, except maybe by the absolute lack of noise even when 3’ away from the speakers.

I’m not going to argue that this is the greatest amp ever, or that it is even a standout desktop integrated. All I am saying is that the stories about how bad Class D is compared to linear amps have been outdated for ages.

Great to see new development with GaN based Class D amps, great to see Technics using DSP feed-forward designs to overcome minor limitations in impedance matching and Atmasphere’s work on reducing measurable distortion as well but OMG stop with the "Class D was awful until just now" threads as it ignores about 30 years of steady research and innovation.
erik_squires
erik_squires OP
16,052 posts
 
I have to disagree, my AGD GaN amps are miles ahead of the older tech and design in sound SQ and i have heard all of the NAD products from the 33 down. You cannot even compare.


I am not saying the older Class D could not be bettered, but that the criticisms of it are overblown.
erik_squires OP
16,052 posts
 
I'm willing to accept your experience with this system of yours.


Why thank you.  The monitors are of course an unknown variable to anyone but me, but none of the criticisms levied against older Class D amps could be fixed by my speakers, or if they are, then damn, I designed some amazing speakers. :)

The impedance curve for them is also quite conventional.
erik_squires OP
16,052 posts
 
Knowing you enjoy this sound, it is now understandable why you never liked Pass designs.

Well, I've been pretty vocal about what I do like instead:  Luxman, Ayre and Parasound, so the 3020 D alone shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

Keep in mind, again, I’m not calling the 3020D the end all be all. I’d much rather listen to my Luxman all day long, but for a desktop system none of the stereotypes of Class D apply in my listening experience. I’m not at all unhappy with this. Of course the nearfield part of this also means I have different room acoustic issues, so I hear music differently at my desk than in my living room. The NAD 3020 D is good enough that I’m not rending my clothes and wearing sackcloth in despair.
snapsc
674 posts
 
If you really believe class d can’t sound good... there are a lot of cherryamp owners that have owned other amps and would disagree. 

As for one approach to the technology and how to extract good sound... this is an interesting read. 

https://positive-feedback.com/interviews/tommy-obrien-digital-amplifier-co/


erik_squires OP
16,052 posts
 
One more thing on the subject:  One trend that seems to be true often is that Pass owners buy very different speakers than I tend to listen to.  My electronics go very much in line with my speaker preferences.

It's hard to say what this is since I build my own, but top end Monitor Audio and Fritz are among my favorite commercial speakers.
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