Spatial Audio Raven Preamp

@lynn_olson DACs are quite different from actual class D amps- the latter draw considerably more power. DACs OTOH do not- and have internal regulation. onboard with the DAC. So different kettle of fish.

There are inexpensive (less than $200 or even less than $75.00 using Texas Instruments chips) class D amps that do use wall warts but I've yet to hear one that you can take seriously.

I was thinking of the oddball use case of a wall-wart powered DAC driving a Purifi Class D amp module directly. Stupid, I know, but I bet some folks have tried it. I imagine it would (just barely) work. It certainly wouldn’t sound good, though.

Measurements would probably be fine, though, if the DAC module had a decent op-amp output buffer.

For anyone interested who perhaps has a Raven already...  Spatial has one last pair of the original pre-production Blackbird amps that they are going to sell at a discount.  David will post them on his site shortly.  If you are interested you can find them.....

I’ll amplify Don’s post. The last pair of pre-production Blackbirds are most likely the cheapest ones you will ever see. Spatial Audio Labs will try to hold the line on prices, but there are a number of imported parts in the Blackbird amplifier ... the European-made Monolith transformers, various cathode-bypass capacitors, and other key parts. If the proposed tariffs materialize, that will affect the build cost not just of our amplifier, but many other audiophile components.

I’ve got my fingers crossed the proposed tariffs never appear, but if they do, nearly all audiophile components will go up in price. If you are thinking of a major capital investment, now is the time to buy.