New Bel Canto Gear at RMAF

Hello Guido,

I did not do SERIOUS auditioning of this amp yet (I might). I heard it at RMAF 2008 where I liked it (yes, I liked it) but to make full impression based on exhibition - would be immature. I also have ...suspition that two Spectrons in monoblocks with full upgrades are better (as they should for $21k retail!)

All The Best,
Rafael

Hello Tvad,

"H20 Class D amplifiers use very robust torroid/capacitor power supplies"

..and its probably one of the reason why they have a good reputation.

To know exactly what they are capable of (in power department) I would like to know
their peak power (Spectron 7000 watts)
their peak voltage (Spectron +/- 240 volts)
duration (Spectron - 0.4 second)
Distortions - AT FULL OUTPUT and at 20 kHz, I don;t remember that of Spectron but you can find it on their web site.
Most other manufacturers show their distortion levels at 10 watts and 1 kHz - which is not highly relevant to real music

Good capability do not translate automatucally into good performance, obviously. However, poor or mediocre capability CANNOT be transpated into good performance.

Again, the "power" of Krell is not in its rms but in its massive power supplies

Note, most class D manufacturers include in their specs words "soft clipping" and why? ...because they clip but if you are semi-deaf it will not hurt your hearing!

I have nothing against H2O - in its price range its one of the best (as I understand).

All The Best
Rafael

Rafael, while there is moderate correlation -- at least in principle -- between price and performance, I prefer not to venture too many prognostications. By the way, JRDG 312 uses twin swwitching power supplies, rather than linear/toroidals. See the sidebar on 312 on issue 188 of TAS--I believe around page 80.
My general philosophy on the subject of power supplies is best summarized by the words of Igor Stravinsky in the Poetics Of Music: "By its fruit we judge the tree. Judge the tree by its fruit then, and do not meddle with the roots. Function justifies an organ, no matter how strange the organ may appear in the eyes of those who are not accustomed to see it functioning."
For the time being, I can only state that I really liked what little I heard of the Bel Canto Mk.2 series, and that they are currently somewhere towards the top of my preferencial non-integrated amplifying heap, together with the class D JRDG 312 stereo, the class A/B Theta Citadel monos, and the class D Spectron. .