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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
jtgofish's avatar
jtgofish
515 posts
 
This is a matter of scale and I’ve not heard a conventional solid state amp including those on this list (excluding the Bakoon) that is as smooth and detailed as a good class D.

Ralph,Yes I can see how somebody might make that conclusion and be seduced.The smoothness and detail is there.I would add articulation and leading edge precision to that.The Bakoons have all that too.However what is missing is the decay,the harmonics, the shimmer,the lilt,the atmosphere,the musical feel,the tintinabulation.To quote our former Prime Minister Paul Keating-all tip and no iceberg.

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,896 posts
 
However what is missing is the decay,the harmonics, the shimmer,the lilt,the atmosphere,the musical feel,the tintinabulation.
Lovely. This property is not the perview of any particular technology IME.
mglik OP
911 posts
 
Ralph, 
So, it seems you have heard Bakoon. How would you describe them? Current drive?
Speaking of tintinabulation, I get that fully with AGD. Not quite as much with Bakoon.
jtgofish's avatar
jtgofish
515 posts
 
No  it was me with the Bakoon .You really need to hear a Bakoon amplifier rather than just a headphone amplifier.Even the very affordable 15 watt 7511 Mk3 will give you a good taste of the Bakoon sound.The Korean Bakoons look a lot nicer than the Japanese ones and have fancier boxes but are not as good value.
mglik OP
911 posts
 
But it was Ralph who said "excluding the Bakoon".
I believe the Bakoons are superb and that the HP-1 is the lessor of the models. I need balanced for preamp/phono and TT rig. And really need the 100 wpc of the top model.
My general feeling though is that Bakoon is not quite as "juicy" as AGD.
Although it is super clear and musical. Bakoon captures the flow and AGD more gets the phrasing.
But before I bought my AGDs I really considered the Bakoon. The 50 watt one would have probably be enough power but it was no balanced and no mono blocks.
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