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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
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,803 posts
 
 What flavor or class is soothing to the taste buds or ears?
Its not the class of operation- its the distortion signature. If you've got that right the class of operation is irrelevant.
caryking
22 posts
 
Atmosphere... perhaps we are saying the same thing. My point was: people like the sound the way they like it. Class type, distortion signature, or whatever really doesn’t make a difference if someone likes the sound they have.

I’ve never listened to a Class D amp, so, I could care less. That being said, I have heard systems that sound really nice using a receiver. People can get good sound (stated differently: sound they enjoy) in a bunch of different ways.
mastering92
870 posts
 
No, of course not.

There is a still going to be a market for class A-B, Class A, Class T, and even Class C!
Lower-end amps from Chinese companies can have class T or some kind of Class D.
The Class type is only important if the implementation is right. It seems like your final amp got it right. Under the right circumstances, it could outperform a Class A amp.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,803 posts
 
My point was: people like the sound the way they like it. Class type, distortion signature, or whatever really doesn’t make a difference if someone likes the sound they have.
Yes. However its not as much a 'taste' thing as so many people think. This is because all human's ears obey the same rules and in the case of distortion this is critical to getting the amp to 'sound right'.
jtgofish's avatar
jtgofish
515 posts
 
Still not convinced sorry.I recently got to hear the latest Purifi class D [P452 I believe] in a very good system-Magicos/Accuphase and they still sound phasey.There is certainly less haze than earlier but they still struggle to create convincing image depth and height.So just not 3D enough.And sorry but the whole point of stereo recording and reproduction is imaging.I know a lot of people can’t seem to hear that sort of imaging and for them class D might be fine but it in absolute terms it is still flawed.
Switching back to the Accuphase and the comparison made the Purifi class D sound as flat and as dry as a gluten free flatbread that had been left on the back shelf of a VW beetle in Death Valley since about 1974.
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