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).
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 :) |
@snapsc Thankyou for that link, that is tremendous information. This leads me to wonder about the virtues of Purifi module Class D amps. Tests reveal the near total absence of any audible 2nd and 3rd harmonics. I guess it depends on the maker using Purifi technology, but I have recently been reading all I can about March Audio. So "good" is bad. True.. While I haven’t auditioned, I remain cautious. I am very sad that Ralph’s Class D is designed only for Nth America and Canada (and perhaps a few others) electricity supply, otherwise I’d be placing my order. AGD? Hmm. If I really have to, kinda thing. |
I'm not an engineer but I suspect that the Purifi is similar to the Benchmark....drive the distortion as low as possible...period, the end...and obviously a ton of people really prefer that sound. Since very few designers talk at length about what their 2nd or 3rd harmonics strategy is...you don't know for sure what you are getting unless the amp has been tested or the designer will tell you. I have a buddy who posts here pretty often...he has a Purifi amp and a few other amps as well. He says that the Purifi actually sounds fantastic...strong low end, really nice top end...good sound stage...BUT...he says that compared to his other amps, it is emotionally uninspiring which to him means that while it technically sounds good, it doesn't seem nearly as musical as his other amps that are know for actually having some 2nd and 3rd degree harmonics. Is this real? Is this imagined? I don't know but since there is more and more being written now about something that Nelson Pass identified 20 years ago...maybe we will all learn more in the years to come?
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