Could Class D really be that good?
I've heard statements praising modern class D amplifiers all the time but was sort of hesitant to try. Lately, one particular model caught my eye, the Fosi V3, which costs sub $100 but is praised for having refined sound like class A/B. To fulfill my curiosity, I quickly ordered one and tried it with my Burchardt S400II and Wharfedale Linton speakers. Basically, this is a neutral sounding amp but, to my surprise, the sound is clean, open, airy, with full mids, wide soundstage, good imaging/separation, with nearly null traces of the edginess, dryness, or lean sound that traditional class D amplifiers have. The background is just as quiet as my current systems. The core is the TPA 3255 chip from TI and comes with a 32v, 5A power block, which is supposed to deliver approximately 65 watts per channel (into 8 ohms). It drives the S400II/Linton without any hesitation, as well as my 130-watt-per-channel high-current Parasound A23. Very impressive.
Measurement is not everything. However, according to the lab test results, when operated under 10-60 watts, the distortion level (THD) is below 0.003%, better than a lot of high-end (price) gears. I am going to build around it for my fourth system with upgraded op-amp and LPS. I believe it will outperform my current mid-end (price) amplifiers.
I know, I know, quite a few Audiogoners' systems are above $100k, and mentioning this kind of little giant that costs a fraction could be rather embarrassing. But I thought this is just like gold digging with a lot of surprises and fun. Don't you think?
@arafiq "So on one hand we have a designer/builder/entrepreneur who has been building and selling top quality products for a number of years. On the other hand, we have a ..... tweaker, who modifies other people's original designs. Hmm... who is right? Tough choice man!" Hmm... tell that to Dan Wright of "Modwright" and Bob Backert of "Backert Labs"!
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riccitone, What is your direct experience with the Nilai amp that makes you state what you did? Did you compare it directly to stock or modified Purifi, high powered Purifi, NCX500, Orchard, LSA, Peachtree, ICE and Pascal? I did mods to a Nilai but when I did the mods (pictures of modded Nilai on my site) my system was not working so I could not A/B with my modded Purifi to find out how good it is relatively. I know what the mods do....I have done the same mods to many amps and the results are always a better sound. |
How you view the world is a reflection of how you view yourself. The universe is your mirror. More and more I love what I see. I don’t always like it......but even the likes/dislikes are fading in the sunshine of your eternal love. It just feels so good to love.......we never have to stop. God (dog backwards), help me to see that your love is always present and that I am always loved and adored. |
+1 @arafiq
@grk both these companies have been creating products for quite some time and have CURRENT products in the market. In fact I OWN the Backert Labs Rhumba. Based on a claim made here, I looked up searched the internet on "EVS Millennium DAC". A result came up on Audio Circle on the "EVS Millenium DAC" thread. It is from 16 Mar 2003, 07:42 am and the poster says - "Dacs are increasingly becoming obsolete (in my opinion)". Wow..so true in 2024...LOL!! |
