Competitive class D amp suggestions


I have been Class D fun since a few years ago when i bought my first class D amp. I like the concept, in general, and all the attractive features of this class of amplifiers. I tried 4 different ones, currently i  stayed with one of them that i consider to be the best among all four amps. I do enjoy and like it. At the same time,  my 5 watts SET amplifier (with more than 100 times higher distortion according to the specs) gives more natural and (surprisingly) notably cleaner sound (THD of the class D amp is 0.001). The soundstage  of the class D amp is not so bad but that of the tube one is still better.   

I remain attracted by class D amps though. 

Any fresh suggestions on reasonably priced class D amps (i mean excluding  non-reasonably priced class D amps, e.g., Merrill amplifiers)?

Any comments on non-reasonably priced class D amps are also welcome (so far i was not able to audition many class D amps and am curious if there are some which could really compete with Class A). 

128x128niodari

There is some really cool things that Ralph is doing in his circuit that other Class D manufacturers are not, and it's evident in the sound.

Something similar could be said about Cherry amps, these amps have something special, they sound different to other class D amps. They have some kind of a special flavor. The distortion of Megaschino  is 001% and this can be perceived. It sounds cleaner than my push pull class AB tube amp, but the SET class A tube with 5% of distortion at 5 watts, 2-3% at my usual listening volume of 2-3 watts, sounds remarcably cleaner, which is very difficult for me to explain.

@snapsc , it would be great if you compare your Cherry amp with Atmasphere class d, they may have something in common indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@niodari 

I suspect that the difference between the Set and the Megaschino is both the amount of distortion and the profile of the distortion with the SET amp having more 2nd and 3rd harmonic giving it a tonal difference.  In my case, with the 2Cherry, I've never owned an amp that was as clear, tonally correct and presented music in a life like way.

I pretty much change my system up every 2-3 years...I guess because the gear is as much fun for me as the sound.  Most of the time, I sell the current piece to make space for the next piece, although lately I've just given gear to my son as his interest in the hobby seems to be growing.

I've got my eye on a couple of amps and as such, will sell the 2Cherry...and usually there is an overlap of the old with the new so a comparison may be possible.

That would be very interesting, please keep us posted! 

I will not sell my Megaschino, also because no Cherry amp will ever be again produced (on this land, at least; perhaps Tommy is doing that in heaven) and it will be a benchmark for me. But I do wish to arrange the problem in its right channel! (so far,  i have no idea  who could help me with that) 

Who here actually heard in their own system the Atmasphere class d amps? I'm in line to hear a pr when my dealer gets his demo set. 

I have a pair incoming.   I currently use a Pass XA30.8 so it will be a very interesting comparison!    I love the Pass but my listening room doesn't have AC so if I can find something I like as well but runs cool, that would be great :)

That could be a conceptual change from Pass labs XA amp. If you like how Pass Labs  amps sound, you may also like Nuprime class D ST10 monoblocks, but they do get a bit hot in long run.

Let us know your first impressions on Atmasphere monoblocks vs XA 30.8.