Where do I start.......?
1.) NuForce uses a topology of the their own design, coupled with an off-the-shelf SMPS.
2.) ICEpower supplies modules with a built in SMPS (ASP and ASC series), as well as stand-alone modules. We have built amps using all of them, and the only one that I am NOT wild about is the 1000ASP. Let's say that it is you have to be more careful in what speakers that you want to match it up with.
OK....you could make that point for nearly any amp, but let's say that particular one is trickier than any other I have worked with.
3.) The Hypex solution uses what is called the "Universal Class D" modulator, hence UcD. Philips owns the patent on that part. Hypex designs all the stuff that goes around it in order to make a working amp module. The guy who designed the modulator for Philips is now on his own, and does some consulting for Hypex. At some point down the road, they may introduce some sort of built-in SMPS. Key word is "MAY".
The big differences between ICEpower and Hypex is the post-filter, and where the feedback is connected to. As a result, one brand has a more marked sensitivity to speaker impedance, wrt frequency response.
(As a designer, there are other factors, mainly how many power supplies each module needs, and the current requirements. Some applications are a better fit for one over the other. That, and some people have a preference for one over the other. Which is why we use, and will continue to use, both technologies.)
