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

I am certainly biased by my lifetime final amp being a Class D. But I know that after 30+ years of development, Class D seems to be on a high plain. I know there are now many, many companies focusing on Class D and, maybe, a good handful already as good as it gets. My Class D amp is as smooth and beautifully musical as a great tube amp and as punchy and detailed as a great SS amp. I am satisfied and done with my search. A class D amp has effectively taken me off the amp merry-go-round. It’s about time after 50 years. And, for me, this Class D is a milestone. Will all other classes of amps fade away?
mglik
earlflynn's avatar
earlflynn
461 posts
 
Not speaking to you.

thecarpathian's avatar
thecarpathian
5,156 posts
 
Does that mean you are addressing another member and not me, so you are denying me an explanation, or do you mean that you will not engage me in conversation at any time?
It is a rather cryptic statement. 
earlflynn's avatar
earlflynn
461 posts
 
@mglik What is your current Class D? Not wanting to sift through this thread. Just curious. 
rh67
307 posts
 
It comes down to finding that great amplifier regardless of class. There are just ok class a, a/b and d amps just as there are great class a, a/b and d amps.

Those making claims that there are no great class d amps have not experienced the best that is out there. And i'm not talking about bargain amps or the most watts for the least amount of money. Most look at class d and are willing to give something up for the convience and money saving of class d. The class d i own allows me to have my cake and eat it too. I sold my Wavac 300b tube amp and Pass XA25 because they were collecting dust as my class d was superior to both to MY ears.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
I sold my Wavac 300b tube amp and Pass XA25 because they were collecting dust as my class d was superior to both to MY ears.

You used an SE 300b or a XA25 to drive a pair of Wilson WP 5.1’s!!!!
No wonder you think the Class-D AGD is the be all and end all to those 2 amps, which btw had no hope of driving the 5.1’s correctly, look at the combined impedance and -phase angle, the EPDR is around 1 to 1.5ohm in the bass very hard to drive. And like I say now also even for the AGD, but it’s better than what you had.
https://www.stereophile.com/images/archivesart/watpup5fig03.jpg
A demanding load, its impedance (fig.2) reaching a current-hungry 2.4 ohms in the upper bass, although this will be moderated by the relatively innocuous phase angle in the same region. The rise in impedance above 100Hz is due to the low-pass crossover; the low port tuning is revealed by the magnitude saddle between 20Hz and 40Hz.
If you wish to learn a little about EPDR load of speakers on amps go here.
 https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/epdr-more-important-than-impedance-alone
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