450 Pound Monobloc Amplifier


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The Boulder 3050 monobloc weighs 450 pounds, 1500 wpc.

A pair of monoblocs weighing right at a half-ton...amazing.

The Pass Labs XS 300 monobloc weighs 300 pounds, 300 wpc.

With all of the advances in amplifier design, does an amp really have to be that big to get the results they're after?

The 1500 wpc D-Sonic monobloc weigh 12 pounds...I love it!
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128x128mitch4t
I was hoping for some comments about my 3-17-13 post,I really believe what my previous post said!Happy listening!
Lab,

I don't see a relationship between SACD and Class D amps. Joe listener moving to a Class D amp if desired is a piece of cake compared to what a move to SACD involved. Plus there is a potential significant cost/efficiency benefit to moving to Class D. Moving to SACD just meant more cost and marginal value.
@ mapman, I was stateing that class d amplification is another passing fad like sacd was,and that we all have seen good technology come and go like the way of vhs video cassets and etc...,if class d amplification does not catch on, like sacd,dvd-A,etc... did not!thou these technologys were good,they faded away in the dusk!cheers!
to all those the like class d amps,i say go for it. if and when they prove to be the best sounding of the bunch,then i will look at getting one. in the mean time, im keeping my pass amps and b&k and parasound and odyssey. and my $1,000 jolida tube amp seems to sound very fine also.
03-18-13: Mitch4t
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"Tim, I love the sound of my Pass amps and I'm in no hurry to change. However, I have no loyalty or sentimental attachment to them. If I hear a set of switching amps that outshine them for less money, I'd change in a heartbeat and never look back. To me, its all about how an amp makes the music sound...and nothing else. For me, the best sounding amp wins, period."

Mitch,

I agree with this approach completely. Even though I'm loving my new class D amp, I wouldn't hesitate to switch to another amp either if I thought it sounded better, no matter the amp type. I'm even considering building a set of kit monoblocs using the Hypex NC400 modules available to DIYers. I would love a set with the NC1200 modules, but they're too expensive incorporated into finished amps and not available to the public as modules.

Tomtab,

As to your question about class D amps handling low impedance speaker loads; I know my SDS440 and the SDS470 CDA amps can handle loads atleast to 2 ohms and possibly even lower. The 440 drives my 87db efficient 4 ohm Magnepan 2.7s to extremely high db levels without clipping or any loss in sound quality(louder levels than I would ever care to listen at). Many other brands of class D amps are low impedance freindly,too (W4S, Merrill, Hypex). But I'm not sure all are.

Mapman,
You make a very good point about the great combination of tubes with class D possibly giving a boost to tube equipment makers and suppliers.

It is ironic that the oldest technology paired with the newest produces great sound at affordable prices. I don't want to see any of the established big name hi-end companies go out of business. I wish them all the best but they'll probably need to either join in or atleast adapt to what I consider the new technological reality.

Thanks,
Tim