Class D amps seem poised to take over. Then what?

I’ve tried some high level class D amps and none have sounded better than my Class A Threshold amps. 

I purchased well regarded, highly recommend and reviewed Class D mono amps 1,000 watts of power and had high expectations but the Class D amps did not have the life, dimensionality, transparency and immediacy that my Class A SS amps had. With the Class D amps, the sound was flatter and much less engaging. So even though Class D amps may work well for many applications, IMO Solid State Class A amps produce better sound. And IMO, well designed tube amps sound even better than SS in terms of music. 

I honestly think the Benchmark amp is the ...Benchmark.

Sure, more power would be good, but because of how it's designed, bridging mono actually works and doesn't degrade performance anywhere, despite what some grumpy old know it all gatekeeper keeps spewing on this forum.

I have tubes, which i love for different reasons...have had icepower, hypex, A, A/B...However, lately i'm having a hard time NOT listening with the Benchmark. Having such a quiet noise performance, no matter what the haters say, is very special and makes the listening experience different, in every good sense of that word.

This is the first amp i've had where i'm not tempted to sell and upgrade, for fear i'll miss the sound too much. Hands down the best i've owned, and I will probably grab another soon.

Most of you know I have owned the EVS1200 for almost 2 years; dual mono based on AS1200 IcePower modules, but highly tweaked by Ric. During this time my system has undergone a number of cable improvements, plus new speakers (Emerald Physics 3.4s). I had been using optical cable between my Oppo 105 and my Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5 power supply.

For some reason (probably read one of the AG threads) I began looking into coax digital cables. Prices run the gammit from < $100- > $1000+. I contacted AA who offered either WireWorld ($$$-$) and Pangea ($$). I also looked at DHLabs, but decided to buy the Pangea. I bought a 1.0m SE ($49.95) and immediately was amazed how much better it was vs the optical. I reported this on my digital cable thread. Someone responded that 1.5m sounds much better. Why? I don’t know. For sure the others were $$$s for 1.5m, so I ordered it from Audio Advisor ($59.95). It performed much better, as mentioned, but how many hours of break-in before it really comes on song? Last night was day 6 of connection, but maybe 10 hours of actual play time. I listened to Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, followed by Bonnie Raitt, Nick of Time (I have owned them both for ~10 years): they both sounded quantum levels better than they ever did, no matter whether I had an all tube system, or all SS with class AB amps.

Cutting to the chase, ones digital connection could be why some have negative comments about class D

OMG I see they also have a Premier XL $149 for 1.5m, so I'm ordering it now

hth

I had two NAD Purfi units in my house and neither stayed long.
Ran hot, glitchy and hardware issues.

Modern Class D amps like those from Hypex or ICEpower (used in many high end brands) are simply excellent performers, musical ruler flat frequency response, SN numbers that other amps can only dream of achieving and they are respectful of power use and efficiency.

Heat and thermal cutoff is the real issue, as the power supplies can get excessively hot. Attaching finned heat sinks (ones with adhesive attach easily to flat heat shields) and providing sufficient air flow is crucial. Plus running hot kills performance. I've found AC Infinity fans with a Controller and a sensor work well and the speed is adjusted according to temperature. When the sound is not turned up the fans will be slow or stopped.