Atma-Sphere Class D… Amazing

The facts as I see them are most here would like you (you know who you are) to stop blabbering.

Yea, it is sad to see an enjoyable GaN related thread derailed yet again; this one didn't do much better: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/gan-amps-peachtree-or-lsa-voyager

Can anyone spot the common variable between the two threads?  It kind of reminds me of the classic SNL Debbie Downer skits :)

Idle current is so low that it invites leaving them on 24/7 yet if the amps happen to be cold, they need little to no warm-up to sing.

@pstores, congratulations on your purchase!

I've had my pair for ~ 2.5 months now, and leave them on 24/7; it is amazing how cool they run (like barely warm at all, unlike my other amp which is a Class A Pass). I might have 300 hrs of play time on them at most and think they likely have improved some over that time.

I'm feeding them with a Meitner MA3 and Sim 740P, and they are most certainly not out of place. 

@ddafoe Which Pass amp do you have and how does it compare to the GaN amp?

I owned the X250.8 for maybe 5 years and switched to the XA30.8 a couple years ago.

I find Pass to be very smooth, a tad warm, offers zero fatigue, very natural tone, and throws a killer front to back soundstage.  So far I find the Atmasphere GaN monos to have a very similar sound to my XA30.8.

"very smooth, a tad warm, offers zero fatigue and very natural tone", check.

"throws a killer front to back soundstage, ...", is slightly different but just as engaging I think so far at least.
I find the monos offer a maybe slightly less 'meat-on-the bones', but a wider soundstage, good depth but maybe not quite as deep, but offer a blacker background and ultimately allow me to hear in and around the instruments just as much, just in a slightly different way.

When I get more time I plan to swap back to my Pass and compare the higher frequencies.   That is one area where I haven't made a decision yet on how they compare.   I find the Pass amps to offer very nice high frequency detail and refinement, without being bright or forward.   

I can see why tube amp owners or Pass owners would like these.   Personally, judging them based solely on their looks, power rating, or because they are GaN based as some folks have done doesn't really hit the mark in my view.   They definitely sound different and very Pass like compared to most amps I've owned.  Some folks may love them and some not so much, but in my opinion they are not the type of amp you just throw in as just another Class D or GaN offering.   They are definitely worth a listen if the sound characteristics I mentioned above float your boat... 
 

I had a photo of the inside of the amp that is the subject of this thread and commented that the parts could not justify the price. 

@fsonicsmith, how many other audiophile products (that many folks purchase and enjoy their sound) would this statement be true for?  Plus, how do you factor in the cost of custom designed and manufactured circuits/technology?   Do you know how much Atmasphere (or other manufacturers with custom tech) spend to develop such tech?  Unless you have listened to the amp in question and compared it to many other similarly priced products, your statement seems off-target from my perspective.

Here is a photo of the inside of my DAC, which after owning various models from SimAudio, Berkeley, Bricasti, RME, and Mojo Audio is my favorite so far, it also costs way more than I ever thought I would spend on a digital front end and it has next to nothing under its cover.   Does its lack of parts justify its MSRP? 

So far I find the Atmasphere Monos to be in line performance wise with my slightly more expensive Pass XA30.8; I have not popped the cover off my Pass to compare them as in the end it doesn't really matter to me since I'm using my ears to decide which amp I prefer.

After about 6 months of owning both the Class D Monos and my Pass XA30.8, I've finally settled on an amp, and recently listed my Pass.    I love the Pass but the two are so similar sounding to me, with a few minor weakness/strengths relative to each other that I consider it overall pretty even in my system at least.   My primary goal from leaving Pass was to get similar sound but without the weight and most important the heat generation in my listening room with no AC, and these monos fit the bill!

I've never heard Dartzeel but the differences this listener mentioned over on the WhatsBestForum between the Class D monos and the Dartzeel are very similar to my thoughts between them and my Pass.

"Ok, I have had the Atmasphere running for a couple weeks. They have only been out of the system a couple times for a day or 2.
I have played them back to back with my 12 year old Dartzeel NHB108 model 1 with SCNP network. First thing is to say, they are very close in sound. Its not easy to tell them apart. What I do feel I notice is the Atmasphere is more clean and has a tad bit tighter bass. The Dartzeel seems to have just a touch more background noise and plays a little smoother. The Dartzeel may have a hair more richness, but that may also be the perceived background noise.

The space around instruments and sound stage is almost exactly the same. The bass to treble extension seems the same.
Neither have any perceived peaks, dips, hardness or fatigue.
Both are very balanced and musical."

@mikepowellaudio, are you not an AGD dealer?   Assuming so, maybe you should at least drop that disclaimer in your post before you enter a competitor's thread and dump on the product. 

I'm also not getting the point of your not so subtle jab 'If a "bargain" is what you are after, then maybe Ralphs are better for your pocketbook.' when his Monos sell for approx the same as the AGD Tempo STEREO Power Amp.

I do agree with your ".02c" part though :)