Atma-Sphere Class D getting some love
Read all of it here
Moving on to electronics, in the Unique Home Audio room I found myself searching in vain for the big monoblocks that I assumed were responsible for the effortless sound emanating from the gorgeous Italian Gold Note speakers. (Other electronics were also Gold Note.) Failing to locate the amps, I asked where they were and was directed to a pair of tiny boxes squatting on the floor. These, I learned, were the new $5400/pr. Atma-Sphere Class D amplifiers. That’s right: a brand known for tube amplifiers has built a Class D unit. I must say, true to the manufacturer’s word, the amps had tube-like warmth and sweetness. But their 100-watt GaNFET output stage and 800:1 damping factor also produced thunderous bass and high-jumping dynamics. Highs were clean, extended, and never exaggerated.
Interesting to see how class d amplifier manufacturers are going with GaNFET output devices. Maybe there’s something to that.
Not all of them are NAD is purfi and Bel Canto is Nucore. I love my Bel Canto gear and was not crazy about the NAD gear I had. I think a lot of it is what is done up stream from the core? Ralph would no better but GaNFET seems to be the flavor of the month. |
Ralph, thank you for taking the plunge (several years ago) and putting so much hard work into this new tech. It's fascinating watching the gyrations of consumers and manufacturers trying to make sense of what's happening. I'm very curious what preamp typology pairs best with your Class-D mono's? Would a simple passive SS preamp be better than say a tube preamp? Will a tube preamp impart it's color/warmth to the signal (at the cost of ultimate transparency) or are there other factors to consider when adding a preamp? Thanks. |
@69zoso69 If you have a balanced line preamp I would use it. You can use a passive if the gain side of things work out but that's a bit dicey depending on your sources and what loudspeakers you're using. The amps accept either single-ended or balanced and have a very easy to drive input so any tube or solid state preamp will work. |
