Oh how I wish Class D amps ...

Tim,

If you want Class D to sound good to you bad enough, maybe try building your system around a Class D amp of choice.

That would give you a better chance than plugging one into what you have currently and like and expecting that it will sound the same or better.

I went Class D because it fit the bill perfectly for what I needed in my rig at the time, especially the big full range power hungry OHMs that mainly benefit from the juice. So I too have a basis to compare.

The amps sound great to me on the Dynaudio monitors as well (hard to fault in any way for their size), but for those alone there are many amps that can fit the bill.

Most speakers I have heard that use ribbon tweeters would probably benefit from an A/B amp like the McCormack or similar than most Class D amps I suspect.

My expectation is most Class A/B amps in this discussion will tend to have a hotter top end than CLass D, at least Icepower. That is one difference I notice between the two.

Of course, different people hear the top end differently and that also changes with age which can also be a factor in what kind of amp sounds best.

You are making a mistake by dissing all Class D amps categorically though just because you like the sound of others in your system.

As has been pointed out, all amps are different and will have different perceived strengths and weaknesses.

My ears tell me Class D amps can be in the same league as their older brethren already these days but YMMV.

Kijanki,

I more or leass agree with you in your assessment of SMPS versus lienar power supplies and already noted that we use both, one type in audiophile products and another in pro audio projects (e.g. 8kw rms pro audio ampliifer with linear power supplies will need a truck to move from one place to another).

The only reason whyt we did not move SMPS to audiophule products is the cost. I think very few music lovers will be willing to pay additional , say $1k or $2k (I don;t remember exactly) for slight improvment in sound. Plus it would be bad for our reputation: to charge money and not deliver.

Regarding "What is different in Spectron amps? " - again from our web site:

"Uniqueness of the Spectron Design
====================================
Chief Designer John Ulrick is a control systems engineer (and an amplifier is a control system). Because of this, Spectron amplifiers are designed with an emphasis on very high speed control loops. These high speed control loops result in the amplifier’s remarkable ability to reproduce detail that other amplifier’s cannot reproduce. Moreover, due to this incredible control loop speed and stability, our amplifiers can drive the most difficult speakers in the world (down to a 0.1 Ohm load!) effortlessly. "

Simon

I have a Jeff Rowland Continuum 500 integrated amp that sounds as good if not better than any other amp that I've owned. You should hear it with a pair of Wilson Sophia 2's. It sounds fantasic. I don't think that all Class D amps should be written off characterized as being all the same. Just my .02 cents.

Simon, I checked Spectron website - very impressive. 100kHz bandwidth and 65A max current is not easy to do. I am especially impressed with bandwidth - less phase shift in audio band. Spectron will be possibly my next amp.

Mapman was absolutely right saying,

"If you want Class D to sound good to you bad enough, maybe try building your system around a Class D amp of choice."

I have the same class D amps, the H2O for 7 years. My system now is clear through every frequency point. That was not so over the first 4 years. It was great in the 2 years between then and now, with now being spectacular.

I continued making changes in my system around my class D amps as Mapman suggests.