There are different types of feedback and I’m referring to traditional
"loop" feedback. Degeneration is a bit different. But I think error
correction is much better if that is possible in the design.
Correction is good. Degeneration does not tend to cause higher ordered harmonic distortion the way that loop feedback does. But one thing about loop feedback- it lowers the output impedance while degeneration raises it. So loop feedback is often used for that characteristic alone. But if you use it, you have to understand that loop feedback makes distortion of its own thru bifurcation, so you'll need a lot to minimize this problem. That's why I say 35dB is a good minimum amount. Any less than that (on a bell curve) and the distortion generated is audible as brightness and harshness added to the input signal.
I have owned just one class D and I've heard a few in my time, just
nothing that was really really good sounding. I'm not trying to pick a
fight, I'm just saying that I haven't been introduced to a class D that
sounded as good as many of the solid state A, AB and valve amplifiers I
have been able to listen to over an extended period of time.
For a long time that was my experience too. The first class D amp I heard had me incredulous that anyone would buy it! But that was a long time ago and times have changed.
From a biological standpoint it suggests the question, “how did this come to be“?
Sine waves don't exist in nature. So its logical to expect that to detect the sound pressure of a sound that the higher orders would be the ones that the ear is tuned to listen for; they are far enough away from the fundamental frequency that they stand out much easier. In addition, the ear is tuned to be most sensitive at birdsong frequencies, likely owing the fact that birds will pipe up if they find a predator in the area- if you can't hear the birds easily you could wind up dead. Today we know the birdsong frequencies as the Fletcher-Munson curve.