Questions re:  GaNfet technology vs other designs.


How do the newer GaNfet technology amps compare to the HYPEX NC400, HYPEX NC500, HYPEX 1200 and PURIF Audio designed amps in terms of sound quality? And also how do these GaNfet technology based amps compare to class A and class A/B amps for sound quality?

It seems several companies are offering GaNfet Amps. For example, please the Orchard Audio Starkrimson 150w gan amplifier and the Atma-sphere Class D power amplifier (and several others).

GaNfet is claimed to provide excellent sound quality. Several class D mono blocks offer great sound as various reviewers have reported. I noticed there are several GaNfet technologies power amps available but not many integrated amps. I wonder why. 

Maybe the better question is GaNfet Amps really for prime time? Your comments on GaNfet Amps are requested. thanks....

hgeifman

@charles1dad , I would not be so quick to jump on the bandwagon.

@snapsc, have we all forgotten the Carver challenge already? https://www.stereophile.com/content/carver-challenge  -- Bob, took one of his SS amps, a rather run of the mill one, and in 4 days, made it sound exactly what was assumed to be a tube coupled tube amplifier. His goal was to match the transfer functions, or specifically the input to output relationship with a real load, which in laymans terms the frequency response (magnitude and phase) measured at the speaker terminals. Once he did that, they sounded the same. Did he perhaps add in some distortion on his amp to match the other amp? Potentially. He of course did not detail the changes, but the vast majority of the nulling requirement would be to match the frequency response at the terminals of the speaker. That is how you make two amps sound effectively the same. If you drive the amps into clipping, all bets are off. There is no indication that was done in the Carver Challenge, but a comment indicates he had to add lots of impedance at low frequencies to match what was happening on the two amps (drop it from 500 watts to <100 watts).

Too bad carver couldn't do this in production models, plus the two amps would probably still sound different with different speakers.

Presumably there is better measurement equipment today which would allow the "fine tuning" of the various amps I mentioned in a fashion that might? allow them to sound very similar??

@invalid ,

I quote,

No matter what speakers we used, every "difference" we thought we had isolated turned out to be there, in equal quantity, when we swapped amplifiers.

He probably could have and maybe just did most of his work with a resistive load adding in a set of speakers for verification. He wasn't going to give away all his secrets.

He did do things with his production models, but it would be good to question what are real sound difference, what is voicing, and what is marketing.

I would not be so quick to jump on the bandwagon

Bandwagon jumping?

I simply agree with Ralph’s succinct and clear explanation. I find it to be more on point and inline with the real world listening results people experience. Make no mistake, I appreciate your comment and perspective. I just find his more credible. That’s all. Good discussion.

Charles