Audiophiles really, really want Class D amplifiers to sonically rival Class A and AB designs. What’s not to like, small size, low power consumption, low heat generation, and relatively high power output with low distortion. The same 10 Audio reviewer praised the Acoustic Imagery Atsah amplifiers (Putzey’s NC1200 modules) and rated them 10 LPs, yet they no longer appear in his system.
It seems audiophiles want the Class D amplifier technology to succeed so badly, they convince themselves that each new technology or new offering is going to be "the one." This has been going on since ICEpower, B&O, and Spectron amps hit the mainstream in the mid-1990’s. While Class D has become the de rigueur choice for cell phones, car audio, and subwoofers, and despite having a few vocal fans and successful manufacturers (think Rowland), Class D still hasn’t become quite mainstream in the audiophile world.
It has been almost 10 years now since I took the plunge with those same NC1200 Acoustic Imagery Atsah monoblocks that 10 Audio raved about and it took me almost a year to figure out the Emperor wasn’t wearing any clothes. What I heard sounded like separate musicians each playing their part in separate sound booths, and not a band playing together. The ambient cues were somehow off, but it took me a while to sense that. Music through those amplifiers just didn’t sound real. You can still purchase Mola Mola’s Kalugas but the other manufacturers using NC1200 modules seem to be either gone, like Acoustic Imagery, or to have dropped the line, like Merrill Audio.
IMO, the most accurate review of NC1200 amplifiers was the review of the Mola Mola Kalugas by Matej Isak at Mono & Stereo who said,
"The familiar music didn`t sound much familiar through the MOLA MOLAs; in the midrange the voices did not posses enough dose of “human touch” to sound real. All notes were there but the illusion of musicians standing in front of me wasn`t convincing at all. The music didn`t sound inviting and involving, it was just… there. The emotional content was missing and the tonal colours were somewhat bleached...with the KALUGAs the sound was far from involving and believable..."
