"D" amps, general discussion who's 1 and why?

Hi Mapman,

I have heard my same amps used with a tube preamp, and the sound was just what many may want. It was very smooth, clean, and musical.

I prefer no tubes in the preamp, as long as that preamp is the H2O Fire. A 6moons review is in the future. This is an abnormally squeaky clean solid state preamp.

This is not to say my system doesn't benefit from tubes. I have mine in my non sampling DAC. The beauty of tubes and NOS carry through unsullied by the preamp. The advantage to my liking is the sound is more lively and detailed with the Fire aboard rather than a tube amp.

Hi Mapman,

Not exactly because in the past that 8 month spell with the "D" class amps I was actually using a tube pre, ARC REF3, Supratec Sav., VTL 7.5 and one of the amps where the Jeff Rowland 501's which I believe is the amp section of the 500 integrate.

The class "D" is very interesting and there are a handful that I have not heard and would like to do so but I will say to date the Jeff Rowland 312 is my fav. for this type of amplification.

Regarding amps I seem to actually prefer tube, just have not found that magical match for my current MBL's. Not that I have really heard allot either because I really had purchased the Cat JL3 thinking that would be it but unfortunately it wasn't do to other issues but the Joule is on my radar and will be listening to the exact system Dob heard and raved about.

Maybe I missed something. Are you ( Dcstp) saying the Bel Canto with the Tripath module is not digital???? Keith

The "D" in class D does not stand for digital. It's simply a sequencing convenience. . . A, B, [C], D. . . do not ask me where class C devices are, I have no idea. Recent Bel Canto amps have abandoned Tripath modules. . . . Bel Canto is now using ICEpower modules: ASP500 in the Ref 500 and ASP 1000 in the Ref 1000 Mk.2. Like with any other basic module/tube, the sound of a class D amp depends as much on what the designer is capable of harnessing from the strengths of underlying devices, as much as on the raw 'sound' of the device itself. . . . which by the way, -- for all it matters -- remains analog.

Geph0007 asked:
"Maybe I missed something. Are you ( Dcstp) saying the Bel Canto with the Tripath module is not digital???? "

I'm saying that Ref 500 and 1000 are NOT digital. Most class D is not.

PS Audio are screwing aroudn with putting a DAC inside a chassis with a Class D amp. The DAC, of course, would be digital, but the amplifier is not.

Tripath was not Class D. I've seen it describe as Class-T, really. I think of it as a hybrid system that may combine power switching with some sort of digital/analog conversion, but I, admittedly, never fully understood what it was doing in the digital mode. There's probably a good reason that they abandoned Tripath.

Dave