SET the best?

A couple years ago considering class D for summer amp replacement for my 845 space heater. Did much research looking for any and all comparisons to SET. While some were positive about class D, the ones that caught my attention were those with high efficiency speakers. The one commonality I observed in those cases claimed there was some loss of texture with the class D. Now, I'm not sure if they're talking about timbre or micro dynamics, perhaps some combo of both, but either way, I find this is special quality of SET and my horns. I don't hear my tubes as tubes, rather I hear them as what the Brits call them, valves. These valves breathe as flesh and blood beings. no SS device can match this special ability.

Hello,

absolutely I need to confirm the GaN Fet AGD uses for the Audion, Vivace, and Tempo (either in the AGDGaNTubeKT88MKii or in the new GaN power module for the Tempo) were optimized specifically for Class-D application hence for Audio.

The article of Rick Backer is therefore perfectly correct.

I cannot disclose the name nor the products of the 2 very large customers these chips were originally intended for (customers of International Rectifier), but I can confirm these were 100% audio applications. The current GaN-Fets available today from many suppliers are indeed designed and specified for Adapters and Battery charger (pc/tablet/phone) applications, and they have therefore different characteristics (very different) than the one we are using. To use them in Class-D is possible of course, but several additional layers of circuit design optimization are necessary.

Hope this closes the case about the truthfulness of what Rick Becker reported. 

quality of SET and my horns. I don’t hear my tubes as tubes, rather I hear them as what the Brits call them, valves. These valves breathe as flesh and blood beings. no SS device can match this special ability. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What SET tube are you running?? Well yes your extentiatial experience of SET’s as *life giving energy to the musical notations** paraphrase mine,,, is just another way of saying what others have taged as **psycha-delic* (greek psyche = soul breath) PP amplification though sweet, is not the same as SET valves. You know SET;’s have had their share of critics over the past decades *the cold ice bucket splash** for the following reason. , some of these criticisms are the result of the evident fact of slim choises in speakers that would pair up successfully with a SET amp. Fostex has come some ways with new designs,

Tang Band also has given some good sound, then AER, Cube, Voxativ all in the past 10 years have made superior Full Midrange Speakesr avaliable. Meanwhile Stereophile and other online stereo reviews have focused primarily, if not exclusively on covering box xover.low senstivity type designs to the complete neglect of higher Sensitive Full Midrange Speaker designs, aka Full Midraange w assist. I for one have no idea how all this shoving SET designs ina corner and worse the clear fact that Full Midrange Speakers have not gotten shoved ina corner,, but **thrown under the bus**.

Full Wide Band Midrange speakers are the most grand **revelation** in my entire audio hobby history.

The WOW factor was off the chart when this discovery was established as *the truth*. I realize Audiogon has always beem always will be about xover.low(er) (makes you happy?) design styles as Front and Center (I get THAT = marketing sells, I wish to say propaganda works,, but this will only call up sour energy from the xover fan-atics and the mods may steop in to cancel my post),, Back in the 1970’s 1980’s the audio retail showrooms were packed full with all sorts of over /inefficient speaker designs. WE were sold in with no thoughts of a **Full MidRange Speaker** The new Full Midrange Speakers now have been around some 10 years, and still not much attention among audiophile discussion. With new SET’s now making their debut with very affordable prices,,, its posssible the new Full Midrange Speakers also may grab some of this new interest as they ride the tail of *The New SET Revolution**. PP amplification sun is lowering in the west, while the SET Star is arising in the east. Side note to all of this Jadis has a new KT170 design tube.. I took a close look at the tube,, Looks like nothing more than a huge KT88. = I’ll pass.

Give me the magic of a SET.

Last note, glad you brought up the issue with the 845 SET, the heat factor. I passed over the 845 for other reasons, went with the 2A3 which my tech wrote back,, **has high distortion at a whopping 5 %, and flea watt power..** I told him, neither spec concens me, I have a speaker design that can deal very effectively with both *flaws**. **are SETs the best amplifiaction??* If we are considering musical magic /midrange, then yes SET’s are the finest musical amplifier.

Note the topic My Long list of amps,, posted years ago, has 1M views, runs on to hundreds of pages,., Its all about BIG POWER amps, massive PP amps, massive SS amps, 

I have no interest whatsoever in either. as I have shown with convincing proff in my posts on this topic, that SET is **set apart** from the rest.

SET's are esoteric, = XXP amplifiers. 

Hardly a  mention of SET  in tghat entire topic.

In 20 years , it will be all about SET, SS and PP will  be a  rare mention. 

AS the poet wrote

absolutely I need to confirm the GaN Fet AGD uses for the Audion, Vivace, and Tempo (either in the AGDGaNTubeKT88MKii or in the new GaN power module for the Tempo) were optimized specifically for Class-D application hence for Audio.

The article of Rick Backer is therefore perfectly correct.

I cannot disclose the name nor the products of the 2 very large customers these chips were originally intended for (customers of International Rectifier), but I can confirm these were 100% audio applications. The current GaN-Fets available today from many suppliers are indeed designed and specified for Adapters and Battery charger (pc/tablet/phone) applications, and they have therefore different characteristics (very different) than the one we are using. To use them in Class-D is possible of course, but several additional layers of circuit design optimization are necessary.

@agdproduction 

I wonder if his nose grew while making that statement?

Currently Audio is a minuscule portion of the GaN market, even at the voltages/currents of GaNFETs that would be used in audio.

Most of the ones in this range are used for high volume high performance POL DC-DC and sync-FETs in DC-DC and AC-DC. Total volume in audio for GaN is puny right now. It is primarily a marketing tool at this point.

Then again, there is the simple fact that a Class-D amp is effectively really quite the same as a DC-DC. What makes a GaN good for a DC-DC would make it good for audio and vice versa with rare exception, more so on the silicon side actually than GaN.

The quote above w.r.t. complexity just sounds like talking points from the GaN systems white paper on their ref design and using their parts in a Class-D amp versus their competitor. Their parts due have advantages against some other parts in Class-D, dependent on how used, but the claims made would be relevant to any half-bridge DC-DC as well, not just Class-D. I expect GaN is chasing this market as the GaN market is still immature and they need to drive sales to ensure continued investment. By far the most important market for them will be electric Vehicles and those devices are much higher voltage.