Class D amplifiers. What's the future look like?
I have a number of amplifiers: Luxman C900U, Bryston 4BSST2, Audio Research VSI 60 Integrated, NAD C298 and some other less noteworthy units. As I swap them in and out of my main system, I've come to the conclusion my very modest NAD C298 is about all I really need. Granted if I had extremely hard to drive speakers, I might be better with the Bryston or Luxman, but driving my Harbeth 40.2 speakers, the NAD is just fine.
I thought a while ago that class D would quickly overtake amplifier design type mainly due to profit margin which I think would be much greater than A/B and tube. I'm not saying the other design styles would go away, just that D would be the most common style.
Clearly my prediction is not panning out, at least in the mid and high-end audio world and I'm wondering why? It seems companies such as Bryston, Luxman, McIntosh, Hegel and so many others are sticking by A/B. I'm no "golden ears" guy, but is the perceived sound issue(weather real or imaginary) still holding D back? Maybe my assumption of profit margin is not correct? Maybe the amplifier manufacturers are experimenting with D, but keeping tight lipped until release? Perhaps brand loyalists don't want change similar to what happened with "new coke". What else am I missing?
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@inna Many guitar and bass players rely on their effects 'pedals' to sculpt their sound. So a lot of the time they just need an amp that sounds clean and is easy to play loud. Its less common to rely on the sound of the amp when it overdriven (clipping); those that do that though are more likely to have a tube amp. Just saying that since that latter practice is becoming less common (because effects pedals provide the distortion/fuzz instead), tubes will be on the wane in the musical instrument world. It makes a big difference at 3:AM if you have to move equipment out of a gig and the amp weighs 85 pounds or 15 pounds... |
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I find that in these forum threats it is helpful for someone to provide feedback on a technology or a particular sound that they have actual experience with. Although there's some real nonsense happening here as people arguing back and forth about technologies in the pros and cons end of the day all I care about is the sound. I have auditioned the arcam sa series and they have a technology which is apparently based on class d but they call it cost g. I thought it was really good sound really really good sound. And I know that it's meant for mass market audiences so the sound was a bit warm a little bit tube like but not fuzzy. I did find it it locked just a little bit of detail and dimension or depth but this is a mass market class g Be very interesting to see this technology go upscale for example what about an actual audio file grade class g amp from arcam. It may already exist but I haven't heard it. So class d and g I think are really promising and really stinking powerful too. The arcam SA20 I auditioned powered by full cal 936s to whatever the heck volume you wanted to Man that had some juice.
Now I personally own the PS audio stellar strata integrated amp and that is a class d integrated app that retails for around $3,500. I love it. It's powerful it's detailed it's a bit on the warm side of sound so it warms up those f o c a l s . And month after month I raised my opinion of it. The dac cables. Speakers interconnects etc all make a difference at that level of sound quality. So yeah it's a class d. Is it the best? Who knows? Is there a color that's the best? But whatever it's very good very good. |
