Atma-Sphere Class D… Amazing

@fsonicsmith 
 

When I find out that there is a switching amp that thrills listeners whom I trust, I will be glad to audition one. History has shown that switching amps can ace measurement testing and bore the death out of the listener. No meat to the bones. No there there. 

Any amp class can ace measurements and bore the death out of a listener. This is hardly unique to class d amps. Apparently the Benchmark mentioned above didn't excite every listener either, and it's not a class d amp, by the way.

@snapsc

We all know that numbers often don’t tell the story of how something will sound

and yet the designer of the amp under discussion has said this:

Subjective opinions can carry quite a bit of factual information. If all those opinions say the same thing and the people producing them are unaware of each other they carry quite a bit of weight. It seems to me that you've still not made the connection of how important measurements are to the subjective experience (and I see that all the time on the subjectivist side as well...). The rules of human hearing are the reason why; as I pointed out earlier all humans use the same perceptual rules. So if we can sort out what's important to the ear, then we can make the measurements to show if we've made progress.

Hmmmmm

Nope it is Class A-G

Many complain it is to sterile sounding. 

SONIC PURITY THAT SURPASSES CLASS A!

The AHB2 is a linear amplifier that surpasses the sonic purity of all class-A amplifiers. No amplifier delivers lower noise or lower distortion. The small, passively cooled chassis, cleanly delivers 480 Watts bridged mono into 6 Ohms, with additional reserves for driving difficult speaker loads. Unlike power-hungry class-A amplifiers, the AHB2 achieves a power efficiency that rivals that of a Class D (switching) power amplifier.

The feed-forward design even makes the more efficient Class H or G operation possible — with no rise in distortion at class H or G switch point (Class H, or G, rail switching at a 1/3 power threshold);

What's important to the ear? The ear is just a transducer sending a signal to the brain. It's how the brain interprets the data that matters. Science tells us we don't all interpret our perceptions in identical ways- there is variation based on numerous factors. No model is perfect. After all, the Fletcher-Munson curves have been revised repeated over the years.

The ear is not a simple passive transducer. The brain actually sends signals. Back to the ear.

But that will never tell you with any real certainty if Random Joe will like your hot sauce. I don't buy based on market research- I try for myself. And I know many people that aren't going to pay $5000 for an amp because a group of people on an audio forum says its s'wonderful! They will want to hear it for themselves in their system, in their space. I also know many people who wouldn't even consider an amp at $5000 without seeing the measurements first.

@kuribo 

Random Joe's taste in food is something quite different from his ability to taste- to detect flavor (and withstand a hotter sauce 😁). If you conflate the senses vs taste in the audio realm then the art of audio becomes impossible! Its not just Fletcher Munson- I chose that one because its so well-known that there is a switch for it (the 'loudness' switch) on many products. But there are other rules- here's one (easily proven by anyone with simple test equipment): the higher ordered harmonics are used by the ear to sense sound pressure. That one is ignored by the industry most of the time (which is IMO why there is so much stuff that is harsh and bright)... The masking principle is what made MP3s possible. While there are minor variations from individual to individual, these rules are shared by all people with hearing and they are far more alike than different! If you doubt that then all audiologists are just so many charlatans 🤣

The fact that you have to try it for yourself is understandable. As audiophiles quite literally because of limitations in measurement and how spec sheets are designed going back 70 years, despite whatever anyone has said about a product be it audiophile, reviewer, dealer or manufacturer, if his lips are moving he's lying. We've all experienced this so often in the audio world that we don't even think about it- we just have to get the product home to find out no matter what the spec sheet says.

We've had the ability for the spec sheets to really show what the equipment is going to sound like for some time. But it appears the industry would go into conniptions if they actually printed the evidence of why their gear sucks so much! (FWIW Bruno's efforts cannot be quantified since he doesn't sell a finished product. You only get to hear what someone has done with it and that isn't always good... so much for the amazing specs...)

So we still have to audition it at home and make up our own minds. Pretty well defeats the purpose of showing all those measurements, even for someone like yourself! By going with 'measurements only' you are open to confirmation bias. If you really want to be objective you have to drop the measurements thing. Sounds oxymoronic but this is the world we live in today...