Atma-Sphere Class D… Amazing

My own extensive experience with my Voyager GaN 350 (said to be the same as the Peachtree) is that is chameleon-like

lol, yeah, with a load dependent frequency response, I would expect quite the ride....

"Class D amplifiers have a low pass filter that can interact with the load if not designed well and that is what we have here. The impact falls clearly in audible band. This would be OK for a budget amplifier in $100 range but not in this class. Depending on what speaker you hook up to this amplifier, the highs may be exaggerated or filtered."

Just heard back from the guy that had brought it over last month. Yes it was the GaN 400….. One I heard last year was the Nova 500.  Neither were as good as the Atma-Sphere Class D.  Will for the fun of it put them side by side in both systems. 

No one said the Peachtree was Better than the ATMA......But the $3500 bundle with the Gan 400 and the Pre/DAC by Peachtree is one heck of a value for us folks that can't afford the ATMA....the ease of play and subtle details that come out of the music is eye opening....I'm hearing info on songs I've been playing for years with my Tube amps that I didn't hear before. Very detailed and very musical.....For the money...it's supurb. Maybe someday I'll get the ATMA....but for now, I'm a very happy camper....gotta' go listen to MUSIC.

Hmm, Class D amps.  In the old days, I was just a Class A amp sort of guy; I went from an Pass Aleph 5, to an Aleph 2, then to the Aleph 1.2, which are big bruiser amps that when they reach their stride in terms of operating temperature, it can turn my listening room into a sauna - not a good feel, hah!  I've been toying with a second system where I enjoy swapping components in and out, and I bought a very nice pair of Audio Research DS450M monoblock amps, which are Class D.  For an amp that is not the current Class D design, I like it, as long as it is connected to a good tube preamp.  It stays cool to the touch during extended play time, and it is fast and dynamic; at 650 wpc in to 4 ohms, and it has something like 180,000 uF of capacitance in each mono which aids in that fast overall presentation.  That ARC amp really gets my Utopia and VSA VR-4 SR Mk IIIs singing good.  I like it, but like all things, some will hear and feel different about it.  In any case, congrats on the new amps! 

I’ve been a 45/46 SET guy for several years now. I’ve been looking for a Class D solution that can approach my experience with the SET amps. I read some of Ralph Karsten's (who I have much respect for) comments re: his Class D monoblocks, I ordered a pair. I waited a little over 3 months to receive them and have now had them in house for about a month. I can’t say they are equal to the 45/46 SETs sonically, but they are the closest that I’ve heard from a solid state amp. Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of reference for that statement, just the best that I have heard.

One additional comment, while waiting for the Atma-Sphere monoblocks to arrive - I purchased an M3a-800S Stereo Class D from a local company D-Sonic. I will say that to my ears, it’s an outstanding amplifier. I haven’t compared it side to side against the Atma-Sphere amps, but it is very close, and at $1500 is a real bargain IMO.

The two amps are playing in different rooms through different systems. I have no idea what the measurements are for these amps, and don’t really care - they both sound really awesome to my old ears and I’m very happy