Well, "10Audio" just did a mini review of a pair of class D amps and...ouch!
I wonder if they were defective?
https://10audio.com/atma-sphere_class-d/
Is D for Dry? Class D...
Class D sounds dry and lifeless... thats all, carry on
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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,
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As long as you have high end manufacturers(that regularly post here) supporting this technology,and subconsciously influencing users,you will have rubes like the ones on A’gon making laughable statements like "buy a Fosi V3 with the best power supply for $140.00,it "WILL SOUND BETTER THAN MOST TUBE AMPS"(that’s a quote from a current thread)... |
@grk No, its more likely that Jerry is behaving the same way he did 25 years ago. At that time he dissed our products (by changing previously published good reviews to bad after the fact) when I called him out after he reviewed a poorly built kit version of one of our amps as if it was factory built. Obviously that amp had some problems and he had bought it used. We don't know how he got this set of amps either (if he even has a set), but IMO he is unreliable. That is how thoroughly he discredited himself back then. As I recall he didn't post on any audio forums for years after that. Apparently he is still carrying a grudge. Obviously he isn't a candidate for a review sample from us. Here are reviews by more reputable reviewers to put this in perspective: https://pmamagazine.org/is-class-d-amplification-now-better-than-class-a-b-and-class-a/ https://www.audiokeyreviews.com/akr-magazine-january-2024 https://hifiplus.com/articles/atma-sphere-music-systems-class-d-amplifier/ You can see that Jerry has done what he did at his own risk. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised that he would attempt something like this again. |
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