Class D Amplification Announcement


After 60 some odd years of disappointment, Class D has finally arrived. As per The Absolute Sound’s Jonathan Valin, the Borrenson-designed Aavik P-580 amp “is the first Class D amplifier I can recommend without the usual reservations. …the P-580 does not have the usual digital-like upper-mid/lower-treble glare or brick wall-like top-octave cut-off that Class D amps of the past have evinced.”

Past designers of Class D and audiophiles, rejoice; Michael Borrenson has finally realized the potential of Class D.

psag

Don't trust Valin at all! There are stories that I’ve heard from very reliable sources. Just my opinion but I’ve stopped reading/listening to anything he says.

You can assume that he has.  The journalistic integrity of TAS is unquestionable.  Furthermore, I have never heard of Mr Valin being proven wrong.  His hearing and experience are so accurate that they are virtually objective.

I immediately assumed that this was dripping with irony, but as the thread has developed I see that I was wrong.  Wow!

I hope it will cost $100K like their bookshelf speaker. Otherwise, how will I know it is any good?

and if a reviewer was to say anything negative about a piece of equipment they are reviewing, wouldnt that hurt the company that made it as well as the review company ?

@riley804 Having written professional reviews for 15 years or so, I was never instructed to not say anything negative about any review product.  The fact is that the only pieces that make it to the level of warranting a review are pieces that have very good customer feedback or pedigree, so crap products that probably deserve negative comments just never make it to being reviewed.  The way to read reviews is not to look for negative comments but to glean from the review where a product may fall short RELATIVELY to other gear.  That is why product comparisons are so critical in a truly thorough, credible, and useful review and why TAS reviews are Absolute Crap. 

Soix: I completely agree. To be fair, Valin includes vague comparisons in his reviews from time to time, so he is not the worst offender in this regard. But his habit of generalizing and making sweeping judgements is probably the most irresponsible thing he does. I present the Borrenson amplifier assessment as an example among many.