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Class A, A/B vs Class D amp Soundstage

Good evening. 
i just upgraded my Cambridge 850R Class A/B to Cambridge EVO 150 Class D with integrated streamer. I use B&W Diamond II with good cables and interconnects. So, there isn’t really a weak link in my system to be uncovered or exposed when going to a. Class D amp. 
There actually is nothing I changed other than the amps

I lost all front to back soundstage. I lost 50% of my right to left soundstage (speaker position has not changed at all and is 6 ft from the back wall. 
I stream hi-res from Qobuz.  The mid-range sounds a tad bit muffled. The base drivers distort and lower top power than my other amp which remained tight in the base even at ear hurting volume. 
 

The only and I mean only thing I did was change amps. So, I am wondering, does going from a class a/b to a class d amp cause a significant decrease in soundstage?  So far, whatever it is, I don’t like it at all, not one kilo-bit

geworthomd

Showing 1 response by big_greg

big_greg
6,704 posts
 

What you describe is not a characteristic of the good Class D amps I've owned.  I'm currently using PS Audio M1200 monoblocks and they are fantastic.  Of course those are 3 times the cost of your integrated amp. 

Cheap Class D devices may sound cheap.  You've compared to a number of other devices and they all sounded better.  That's not an inherent issue in Class D, it's an issue with that specific device. Is it too late to return it or replace it to see if the replacement unit is any better? If not, return or dump it and move on.

I had a similar Class D integrated from another manufacturer sometime ago and it lacked body and clarity.  You may have bought a lemon. 

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