Has anyone tried an amp from Class D Audio?

Tonyangel,

I'm using a ClassD Audio SDS440CS amp to drive a pair of Magnepan 2.7qr spkrs. I bought it to replace my older Aragon 4004 class A/B amp that is similar to your 2004. I could not be happier with this amp. It was only $630 and puts out a solid 440 watts @4 ohms and it is very good from top to bottom. I think the CDA designer, Tom Ross, is using some proprietary design that allows this amp to handle low impedance loads. This amp doubles its power when going from 8 ohm to 4 ohm loads, which is unusual for a class D amp at such a budget price. This doubling of power, when the impedance is halved, is typically considered a good indication of a robust power supply in an amp's design.

I would recommend pairing the amp with a tube preamp if you want an organic sounding system with natural bloom and warmth. But, if you prefer a more neutral and accurate presentation, I'd use a solid-state preamp or an ARC tube preamp. From my experience, and from reviews and blogs from users I've read, the CDA amps seem to all have a neutral and accurate sound quality.

I've been using the SDS440, 60% for ht/40% 2-channel music, for the past 5-6 months and thoroughly enjoy this amp for both.

Because your Silverlines are somewhat inefficient, as my spkrs are, I would advise you to consider trying the SDS-440 or the more powerful SDS-470. I can say with confidence that you'll be able to get very good sq even at volumes louder than you'd ever care to listen without distortion, compression and without the amp getting more than merely warm to the touch.

If you decide to give one a try it won't be a big financial risk. CDA offers a 3 week trial period and you'll just be out shipping costs if you decide to return it.

Good luck and please keep us informed.

Thanks,
Tim

I have built and auditioned many of the Class D Audio amplifiers. They are a very neutral amp. If you want a bit of warmth in the mix, a nice tube buffer makes a work of difference. A buffer also helps putting a Class D amp in the system in regards to impedance as the Class D amps have a low iinput impedance and a buffer can have a very low output impedance.

The SDS-254 should not be a prpoblem as it has a 47K input impedance but some of the others are as low as 7K. This is also the best amp they offer in my opinion. Plenty of power, balanced inputs possible and easily handles 4 ohm loads. This module is the baseline for some hybrid amps we have designed.
A little tweaking and you really can have an exceptional piece for very litte outlay of cash.

If you are going to build your own based on one of their modules, I would recommend setting it up forst with the attenuators that come with it, measuring the resistance where it performs best for your system and then installing a resistor network in place of the attenuators (or simply leave the attenuators in for that matter. This can greatly reduce any residual noise due to the high gain of the amps.

Nobel100, it was your thread that first brought my attention to the amps from Class D Audio; especially, since you were coming from an Aragon amp similar to mine.

Response34, I THINK that neutral is what I'm looking for. I recently got my hands on a Marsh P2000 pre amp, and, as much as I liked my previous NAD C162, I think that the Marsh is in another league all together. I'm just looking for an amp that will let me enjoy the upstream components.

The reason that I'm looking at the SDS-254, rather than the more powerful model, is that the 254 is pretty close to the rated power of my Aragon and the Aragon has been all of the amp I've needed thus far. On the other hand, with the adjustable gains on the CDA amps, I may be able to make the more powerful amps work in my system and be able to rest assured that I have more than enough headroom available.

And that leads me to another point. With the Marsh and Aragon combo, I'm only able to get up to about the 11:00 position on my volume control before it's so loud that I can't think. I'm hoping that the adjustable gains will allow me to get the use of more of my volume control.

In any case, I think I'm sold. My very next purchase is going to be an amp from CDA. I just need to decide between the 254 and the 440. I know that the Minuets I'm running are small, but they are rated to 300 watts. I wonder if I've been missing something with the "little" 100 wpc Aragon.

It's also going to be nice to get that 40 something pound beast out of my little audio cabinet. I'll have room for more toys.

""Everything being right with no soul"

Strat,

Are you comparing the various Class D amps apples/apples with the rest of the system all the same?

Which Bel Canto amps specifically did you have and what was rest of the system?

I have ref1000m monoblocks. I find them rock solid performance wise in every regard, which is pretty much what I expect from an amp and works for me. Whether they possess "soul" or not will be largely determined by what they are run with. Source, pre-amp speakers, ICs, all will sound different. They have high damping factor that can sound towards lean side in some setups, but sound dead on in others. I experience this myself running various speakers in various rooms off them concurrently.

Tonyangel,

I would advise you to get the more powerful SDS-440 or SDS-470 amp. The 440 ($630) is 220 watts @ 8 ohms, which is in the middle of your spkr's recommended power of 100-300 watts. The 470($695) is 300 watts @ 8 ohms, which is at the top of the range. Either of these amps, combined with your Marsh solid-state preamp, would give you an accurate and neutral quality. which is what you said you like. Your spkrs are small but somewhat inefficient at 88.5 db at 1 watt input. I think having extra power (over your Aragon's 100 watts) would result in an effortless and relaxed presentation with plenty of headroom.

Personally, this combo would probably be too neutral and accurate for my taste, but it may fit your taste quite well. If you do feel it's a bit too neutral and accurate, you might want to switch to a tube preamp.

An alternative, if it's within your budget, is the Bella Musica Ibrido hybrid amp at $1,895. I've never heard this amp but it looks very interesting. It pairs a tubed input stage with a class D amplifier which should result in a smoother presentation but the power is lower at 125 watts/channel. I believe this amp uses the ClassD Audio amp module. You can read about the amp at http://responseaudiony.com/products.htm.

I'm sorry if this adds confusion to your decision, but I just discovered this amp online tonight.

Good luck,
Tim