Atma-Sphere Class D… Amazing

@cymivka I debated between Atma- Sphere and AGD monoblocks for my second amp purchase.  Talked to both designers.  I settled on the Atma-Sphere so I have never heard the AGDs.  I do have a LSA Voyager Gan modded amp that sounds really nice.  The Atma-Sphere bests it in soundstage, low end and pristine clarity.  Nevertheless, the LSA remains a damn fine amp and, for the money, hard to beat.

@mikepowellaudio, are you not an AGD dealer?   Assuming so, maybe you should at least drop that disclaimer in your post before you enter a competitor's thread and dump on the product. 

I'm also not getting the point of your not so subtle jab 'If a "bargain" is what you are after, then maybe Ralphs are better for your pocketbook.' when his Monos sell for approx the same as the AGD Tempo STEREO Power Amp.

I do agree with your ".02c" part though :)

Waiting for a pair of A-S Class D’s to arrive and very excited. Any suggestions on preamps? Ideally an analog preamp with dac or an integrated solution combining analog, Roon Ready streamer and dac. Please don’t recommend the Eversolo A-8 :)

I currently have an Auralic Aries G1.1 streamer (no dac), Bel Canto DAC2.8 dac/pre and Ref501S. I look forward to evaluating whether the A-S are a significant step up and how much. Running Totem Forest Signature speakers.

The fact still remains that Albertos amps use a switching device nobody else can source. Again, one that was designed for Audio, not for a battery charger or DC power supply. 

The only parameter that can make a GaNFET more suitable for audio is a low output capacitance. Other than that there's no way to optimize a GANFET for audio.

GaNFETs are designed for high power switching applications. While that might include a SMPS or battery charger, in such applications the cost of the output switching devices can play a pretty big role in the device used. So a battery charger is far more likely to use a MOSFET instead owing to an order of magnitude lower cost. GaNFETs are more likely to be motion control or other high power application (such as class D operation) where precision high efficiency/low noise switching is important. 

Anecdote department only: we have more than just 3 customers that have compared the AGD to our amps and the result was the other way 'round (one of them commented above). In the end anyone will still have to try it out and see.

@srama I recommend a balanced preamp if you can. That's what we use here in the shop and what I use at home.

Ive got no skin in the game and I hope to compare both BUT there is definitely more Atmasphere's used ones showing up in the marketplace if you pay attention than AGD ones.  Whether or not thats because more ATMA's have been sold than AGD I dont know.