Class D Amplification Announcement

@pehare What tube amp were you comparing the Atmaspheres  to?

At what point do you guys say that your gear is "close enough" and start listening to music intentionally?

I have recordings I recorded and mastered. I was there at the musical event. I use these recordings for reference, since I was there. I recommend anyone who really wants to compare against the live performance to get a set of good mics and a decent recorder, then get out there and make recordings- very helpful for knowing what is right and what isn’t.

Once you get that part right then you can listen to other recordings on the same system to see how they are rendered. That is really the only way I’ve found to get at ’the absolute sound’.

Never any love for LKV on Audiogon.

https://lkvresearch.com/lkv-pwr-3-amplifier.html

For the voltage-gain circuitry, the PWR-3 uses a Class A, zero-feedback circuit designed by LKV’s Chief Designer Bill Hutchins. This circuit delivers life-like sound due to careful design and component matching, including 40 hand-matched, discrete jfets. For the high current output stage, Bill selected the Purifi 1et400A module, which implements Putzey’s breakthrough.

I recently upgraded my Class D amp in my main system from older Bel Canto ref1000m IcePower based (already quite excellent) to a more recent Hypex-based design. Being an engineer myself always with an eye on new legit technical innovations that can move things forward, I was considering the various GaN options as well, including AGD amps I heard in another A’goner’s system, but did not find exactly what I was looking for yet with GaN (based on features more so than sound alone), so tried the Hypex-based product  and it is not leaving anytime soon. Meanwhile, will wait to see what else new comes out in next few years, GaN and otherwise, and see what happens then.   Several  Purifi-based products were also given strong consideration.

The Aavik integrated amp mentioned had my interest...very nice..until I saw the price. Not happening for me anytime soon. Top notch sound, at least to meet my requirements, need not cost that much these days thanks to widespread related advances in technology. Were I to take a plunge like that, I would expect support beyond the norm at a minimum to help insure the investment.

An unbiased shootout with the competition to maybe help justify the cost would be interesting. But it looks like a boutique type product at least for American consumers and that alone will draw some interest. Especially when everything else prior is purposefully labeled a "disappointment" by the OP.