Wyred4S or Belles for Usher Be718?

Dgad, which class D amps have you listened to this far?

Will be using the Tube Audio Design's new TADAC, (not available yet) with improved preamp section, which i guess would be quite similar to their old TAD 150.

Was thinking about a Mapletree and Altmann DAC, but the Altmann is complicated (needs a battery), plus i wanted a nice analog tube sound to my music, since i will not delve into vinyl.

Price is about the same for all three- $1850 for the Odyssey w/ upgrade, $2000 for the Belles, $1600-$2000 for the ST-1000. Would save some money on an extra interconnect and power cord if i went stereo over monoblock though.

My big thing is that i have heard or have a "feeling" that the Wyred is a bit better than the other two---

Yet i spoke with two people, first, the owner of a Belles 350A Ref, and he said that he would highly consider the Wyred, although he has never heard them. Kept emphasizing how they (class d) are the future
Another stated that both the Odyssey and Belles are not in the same league as the Wyred!!!

However, this is the problem. As Dgad says, the opposite is true. And i have heard that the Belles and Usher are a superb combination. And finally, a lot of people seem to say negative things about Class D amps.
So without auditioning them for myself, it seems difficult to tell.

Will simply wait to get ST-1000 used at least 20% off if i go that direction. I am building my very first system. If i feel that it is not worth the money when fully assembled, i will sell it. Plus with the economy how it is, you never really know how stable you are financially, if something were to happen.

As for the 500 watt model vs 250, i've heard my speakers with 500 watts and it does make a difference, so if i go with Class D, to offset any disadvantages, i figure the extra power will help. Plus there's the option for a little more to go with 500 watts, whereas the others don't have this option, so why not, since my speakers are quite inefficient.

I have a W4S 125 wpc amplifier. It sounds almost pathologically smooth. I previously owned the Usher speaker you have. With a Meridian 200 wpc solid state amp it was too forward,etched and brittle for me. I ended up selling both.

I can only guess the the ultra silky smooth W4S amp would be a very nice mathch for the Usher speakers.

Guidocorona,

Quite a few. I forget all the names but when I was at the German show many of the rooms were using Class D. Also a few at RMAF. At first I felt wow, this isn't bad. But as time wore on I found it was missing something. To sterile maybe. I guess I like my tube distortion. W4S is one. Roland, AVM? (I think that is the name), Bel Canto, Veloce, Spectron, which I did like, but it aint cheap either. I have the pictures somewhere. I just honestly feel Class D is a must audition. Also, I heard the Berning Quadrature & the Belles. The Berning is excellent, but the Belles is an incredible value. I spent a good 1 1/2 hours in that room.

I want to be specific, all were at shows so I can't go beyond that. I would love a home audition one day but this year I am staying calm.

Thank you Dgad, I agree, tubes can be captivating. Which sound is 'better' is of course a matter of personal preference. For what's worth, even within the same brand, including class D amps, price and sonic signature can vary enormously. I believe that Spectron varies in price from under $6K to over $20K; Rowland ranges from under $2K to over $30K. I admit that none of the switching amps I am familiar with sound stereotypically 'tube like'. Unfortunately I am not yet familiar with Wired4Sound; Among the class D amps I have played with, the Bel Canto Ref 1000 Mk.2 may perhaps be the slightly warmer sounding one.