Wyred 4 Sound.....Anyone?????

So Unsound and Dob, are you saying that the Class D amp manufacturers typically provide ratings on their peak maximum power output or on a continuous output?

I know and understand that most power amps are running at an average of 1/8th of their rated output and that the draw (amperage) of the amp reported at such an output should be indicative of the amp draw the owner is likely to see during "normal" listening.

I am not sure if class D amp mfgs. base their power ratings on peak why they would do that? It sort of reminds me of the boom boxes at Best Buy and Walmart that claim to have over 1,000 watts of peak maximum power output!

When I see a Class A amp rated at 300 WPC, I know this is a load it can put out continously. I also know that its peak output is much, much higher than this, yet it is not the peak that is reported as such reporting (as history has shown) is very misleading and resulted in some grandios rating/performance statements by lots of companies (aka 1980s).

Since I am contemplating taking the leap (a second time) and trying some (one or possibly more) class D amps, I am trying to get a better handle on this and what my needs may be. I know my speakers don't need anywhere near 500 watts of class A power (ie. @ 8 ohms), but at the same time, I have no clue as to the "amount" of power they need from class D amps. I know my amps can perform very well with 100-150 watts from a good tube amp. So if I like 100-150 watts from a tube amp, 100-300 watts from a class A amp, how many watts do I need from a class D amp?

I am not talking about sound pressure levels as my goal. By most people's standards, I am listening to music at a notably lower "loudness" than most. I am talking about control, musicality, transients, etc. . .

CK,

Watts/power alone is solely about how loud it can/should go and not useful to determine much else.

Other characteristics of amps and how they interact with speakers, like damping, current delivery, transient response, and other aspects design and execution have more to do with control, musicality transients and such. Specs in these areas might help set relative expectations but do not tell the whole story either. Only your ears when listening can.

Often the build quality of the power supply and transformers are good indicators of what might be expected.

Class D switching amps are considerably more efficient in delivering power than Class A or A/B. As a result, the power supply circuitry is considerable smaller, lighter, and compact. Also less heat is created in teh process so heat sinks are smaller, etc.

My understanding though is quality of the power supply is still a major factor in resulting Class D performance and power supply quality varies widely from model to model, vendor to vendor, despite the more compact package.

So just like most other gear, not all Class D amps, even all Icepower module based Class D amps, are created equal.

Same true in regards to Icepower amp input circuitry and how designed to work well or not with higher output impedance tube pre-amps. There are differences from model to model, vendor to vendor. Wyred is quite good in this regard as I understand it.

2 amps which produce the same power into a resistor may DELIVER way different amounts of power into a reactive load....a REAL speaker!

OK fellas I am taking the class D plunge here. I have a ST-500 that I picked up used arriving at the end of the week. A little background I really like tube equipment and have been using a tube amp since I received my current speakers (Geddes Abbey 12A) 6 months ago. The speakers are designed to be used with solid state amplification with their inherent low output impedance as compared to tube amps. So I picked up a Forte Model 5 100wpc class A input and A/B high bias output and low and behold I liked the sound better than the tube amp, so now I want to try the class D with a little more power, so after that long winded background here is my question. How big of a factor do you guys find the power cord to be, I see 2 posts claiming sonic improvements from different power cords from Drewportland and bobgates, anybody else have an opinion. I am not a believer in HIGH priced power cords but am not opposed to using the P-1 cord from Wyred. Thanks in advance guys.

Dan

I have an ST500 and I find the choice of power cord does make a significant difference. I really like the Nordost Brahma cord which is then plugged into a Nordost Thor. My set-up is probably a bit unusual for an amp in this price range whereby the cord is almost as much as the amp, the power center twice the price and the preamp five times the price.

The stock cord isn't bad. I preferred it over a 12 gauge PS Audio cord I have which tended to sound thin. I have not tried an assortment of cords other than to note what works for me.

If you check my systems, you can see I enjoy tubed components. My ST500 has the WBT outputs which I'm told makes a noticeable improvement vs the standard terminals. I find that the sound is not like SS amps I've had before nor is it the same as tubes. I enjoy the amp.