There are many (and growing) manufacturers now that offer high quality Class D that I wasn't aware of when I started my search a couple years ago for Class D monos.
T+A Class D Amps ( M200 or A200)?
For somewhat idiosyncratic reasons, i am considering (i) moving my NAD M33, which I quite like, out of my main system where it is powering DALI Epicon 6s and dedicating it to powering a new pair of Revel Performa 226Be that are in a somewhat smaller room (15’x25’ with 8.5-9’ ceilings and fewer windows) with better acoustics and (ii) taking the NAD C399 that currently runs the Revels and using it just as a pre-amp/streamer/DAC (which it is pretty well suited to, despite lacking balanced outputs) and for a pair of T+A M200 mono blocks for the Epicons.
My thought is that both sets of speakers will be happier with these changes.
Has anybody here auditioned a T+A class D and not liked it? (I think I can get the M200s on a 30-day trial at just the cost of round trip shipping, which given their slight weight shouldn’t be too bad.)
FWIW, my music is all streamed via Qobuz and TIDAL, jazz, vocals, pop some classic rock; played at rarely higher than moderate volume.
Thanks!
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I have had a pair of M200s as well as a single A200 for about 2 years now - ZERO regrets. I used the M200s along with a pair of SPL M1000s to bi-amp the Sonus Faber Olympica Nova IIIs. I have since changed speakers to the Diptyque DP140 MKII Panels, and tried them with the SPLs, but found the T+A M200s an almost perfect match. Preamp by the way is a Matrix Audio MP-1. My advice: Go for it! |
The Bluesound Node ICON is designed to directly hook up to an amp. It would be wise to use the balanced XLR outputs to do so, I am told. That, in and of itself, is why I am considering purchasing the ICON, even though my interest in streaming is tepid. The apprehension is that it is highly unlikely that the DAC in the ICON will be better than the Yggy that I use. Also, the preamp- I would surmise- would be the weak link. Still, it sounds like fun and creates a hands-on utility of sorts that everyone can interact with easily. I use the NAD C298, which has the same Class D technology as what the OP uses. Hence, it would sound the same; sans the speaker differences, which are vast. My take is that the OP probably needs a 2 or 4 tube preamp to provide the flesh/tone/etc that others here in this thread describe. But, to each his own, I have to live with 30 feet speaker wire runs, so everyone has limitations as to what can be done - or what can be deemed plausible in a room environment. |
Yeah the Icon is probably a good step below where you’d wanna go. Unless you’re very space constrained I’m not sure why you’re hesitant toward a separate DAC and streamer, and most combo units come with some significant compromise either with performance or the app, or both. Something like the HiFi Rose RS151 DAC/streamer with a good stereo preamp might work — preamps are important so if sound quality is paramount this might be worth considering. If you’re really hell bent on combining everything including the preamp then the new Eversolo A10 looks promising with the significant caveat that their customer support is sub optimal should you ever need it, and especially with streamers it’s not uncommon at some point. But here’s a good review fyi in case you might be interested… |
Thanks @prophet9 and @goodlistening64 ; very helpful to me. @soix, do you think, cost aside, that the eversolo dump-a10 is likely better than the NAD M66. The M66 has also gotten great reviews (e.g., https://www.stereophile.com/content/nad-m66-streaming-preamplifier-measurements-page-2 ) and has more functions than I will ever use. Pretty solid customer support room, at least based on their being very helpful when i had some very boneheaded questions when setting up the M33. |
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