Oh how I wish Class D amps ...

Timtim ... your thoughts parallel mine . I have a 100 pound A/B amp and as i'm getting older, would like something small , light , and cool running . But have not heard a good sounding class D amp yet , I haven't heard them all . I don't think they will ever ketch up with A or A/B designs . And A , A/B designs are continually improving .

Ok guys ... I overstated when I said " I have heard them all " ... I should have said I have heard MOST of them. I find they all sound slightly different, but seem to still share the basic traits I described to one degree or another.

I have not heard the Devialet yet, but have heard the Cherry Plus in a friend's system, and it sounded good until he switched back in his own Class AB amp, and the Cherry's shortcomings were immediately highlighted.

I should also clarify that many of the Class D amps probably DO sound as good as many Class AB amps ... What I am looking for is for a Class D amp that can sound as good as amps such as the McCormacks, Claytons, Electrocompaniet, etc ...

And lastly to Frogman : The "promise" I speak of, is the promise of small size, efficiency, power, etc ..

You've heard them all, really? If they are not to your liking so be it. My experience with the W4S does not match your sonic description. I have a well regarded vacuum tube preamp in conjunction with a power supply that most users would not apply to a 1600.00 amp and the sonic result is excellent. You might try some other combinations of gear in your search.

Thanks Rhljazz ... I actually had the WFS 1000 in my system for a month, and it was a good sounding amp, but not even close to what my mcCormack offers.

I really, really want to go digital, badly ... I just do not want to go backwards in sound quality. My thread is not trolling, or trying to stir up any trouble. I just wanted to see what others feel about my thoughts and impressions. Thank you for your thoughts !

You can overcome the size/weight problem by switching to high efficiency speakers and using smaller A or A/B amplifiers. It is the need for enormous horsepower that requires you to own massive amplification.
There are some pretty great 30 watt SS amps out there that are not too large or massive.