Atma-Sphere Class D… Amazing

Talk about audio (however defined) on this esteemed forum. There are many issues to explore and many wonderful contributions. Address the many questions raised.

What is with this with character assassination? That is what inexperienced and puerile teenage girls do at school when they have a crush on some boy.  

I ordered the monoblocks on May 27 and received them on Aug 16, so a bit under 3 months for me. Definitely worth the wait.  I was quoted a 3 month wait and it came in just under that.

@drhamp what are your thoughts on them? Have you been a class d user before? I'm very interested. 

@j-wall - This is going to be a bit of a round-about answer:

I've been a SET fanatic for several years, primarily 45 and 46 SETs.  I just love the presense and intimacy that those SETs provide with my 98dB + speakers. 

I have been on the lookout for a Class D alternative that could provide or at least approach that SET sound that I have fallen in love with.  After watching a video (don't recall which) where Ralph was describing his Class D monoblocks and based on his outstanding reputation, I ordered a pair.  This was a leap of faith for me as it was the most that I had paid for any piece of audio gear except for speakers.

I've had them in place now for a little over a month and will say that I'm not dissappointed.  They are certainly the closest to the SET sound that I have heard from a solid state amp.  They are not quite up to the SET sound that I was looking for, but they come very close.

No question, Class D has come a long way and that will likely continue to improve.

Coincidently, while waiting for the Atma-Sphere  amps to arrive - a friend recommended that I try another Class D stereo amplifier which is Paschal based.  I won't mention the name here (since this is a thread on Atma-Sphere Class D). 

Is it as good as the Atma-Sphere, probably not, but it is very very good and I plan to do an A/B test with them in the near future.

Neither of these amps will replace my 45/46 SET amps, but they are outstanding alternatives.  I'm sure there are many other excellent Class D amps out there, but I have not had the opportunity to hear them

I have always expressed my appreciation for Ralph's contributions on this Board. Don't believe me? Look at my previous posting history and you will see for yourself. But up until now I never saw such promotion-as here-of his own product. 

In time, the tube amps will be gone. Not because of a lack of tubes but because they've been eclipsed and people will wonder why they go through the hassle when subjectively better sound is available at less cost. That hasn't happened yet simply because class D has taken some terrible missteps in the last 20 years.

How much hubris can a man possibly have to make such a pronouncement! This man has solved the problems leading to 20 years of "terrible missteps" of all that came before him? 

How is this pronouncement any different than those of the dumb prognosticators who declared vinyl dead once Philips-Sony came out with CD players in 1982 or so? Vinyl is far more of a "hassle" than tubes. 

Who is Ralph to declare that his subjective opinion of the sound of his own product is absolute? Ralph will no doubt diplomatically respond that he is not just referencing his own Class D amp. If so, than tell us Ralph which other Class D amps are you declaring to be subjectively better than the best tube amps other than your own? 

Ralph, how can you possibly tell the thousands of us with tube amps and preamps that if we only gave your Class D amp a good audition we would come to the realization that your Class D amp is subjectively superior? How can you then, in good conscience, even offer your tube amps for sale? 

As I type this I am wearing a mechanical watch, a Carl Bucherer Scubatec that costs the same as Ralph's amp, needs an expensive cleaning and lube every six to eight years, does not have the accuracy of a five dollar cheap digital watch, and has to kept on a watch winder or re-set once the mainspring's power reserve runs out. By analogy this would be the same as someone like Ralph stating that I should or will eventually realize that my preference for mechanical watches is folly. 

And Ralph, you have responded to virtually everyone else's questions and statements including those of the bizarre troll, and yet you won't respond to mine asking-earnestly- whether your class D amp has true balanced topology and if not, the sonic compromises if any?