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A great article on Class D/switching amps

The latest edition of The Absolute Sound has, in my opinion, the best overall perspective and evaluation of the eight most regarded class D switching amps on the market today.

The article contains an explanation of the technology, an interview with a couple of the most important designers, the individual reviews and finally a round table discussion regarding these amps.

I believe any of you GON members who might be considering auditioning a class D switching amp would want to review this piece regarding their different sonic signatures.

I had the pleasure of listening to the Kharma MP150 which the panel picked as being on top of the "heap" compared to Audio Research 300.2,Channel Island Audio D-200, Nuforce Reference 9 Special Edition, Red Dragon Audio Leviathan Signature, Jeff Roland Design Group 201, Cary Audio Design A 306,and finally the Spectron Musician III.

Each amp had at least two different reviewers with different systems evaluate them and then compare their experiences. This was a well done piece and if you read it I believe you find it both educational and helpful to understand what these amps are all about.
teajay
tbg
5,263 posts
 
I had a JBL IceCube class D amp in 1976. It had a switching power supply as I recall. It ran the hell out of my Infinity Quantum Line Sources. I think the present rage would not have happened except that B&O developed their little cubes which everybody or nearly everybody buys for $150 each and which B&O does not want to sell as a completed amplifier.
rhljazz
1,254 posts
 
"Class D will seem cold and sterile because it lacks the distortion components that they interpret as warmth."
In the designer's forum, Dan D'Agostino from Krell objected to class D because the waveform produced was furry and spiked. Class D has a lot of distortion that needs to be filtered out. And as with any filter some bad stuff may get through and other stuff not pass through. The best application is a subwoofer amp.
macrojack
1,303 posts
 
Krell Dan has good reason to dis Class D. In fact, now that you bring it up, I can see that the entire TAS family is threatened by a superior product at a realistic price.
The Red Wine Audio Signature 30 is far more musical than any Krell amplifier at any price regardless of what Dan has to say on the subject.
Any comment issued by Krell against a competing product or technology should be considered tainted by self-interest. Clearly he has a great deal at stake when his megabuck monoliths stand to be obsoleted by something easily affordable and more musically adroit.
muralman1
1,527 posts
 
The Red Wine will not drive a difficult load. It goes head to head with SET amps, and fairs exceedingly well. Krell's real threat are the powerful Class D amps like my H2O. It thunders as Krell amps only try to, while being airy at the same time, Krell only wishes for.
phd
1,314 posts
 
Most of the music hangs out in the midrange and is a critical area where digital amplification doesn't seem to address as well as analog. Besides that they (Class D) fail to provide the texture & harmonics that makes music an enjoyable experience. Yes they get alot right and may be our future but they are currently work in progress as some have agreed. If I were to settle on a Class D amp it would have to have an analog power supply.
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