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Class A or Class D solid-state amplifiers (modern designs)

Hey guys.

 

Class A is supposedly superior. Something to do with a conduction angle of 360 degrees...so the entire signal gets processed in one go without crossover distortion.

But in terms of sound quality (subjective enjoyment) is there a benefit to Class A? Can class D provide the same level of enjoyment?

 

The dealer I’m talking to says that really nice Class A amplifiers are designed for "reference quality" meaning completely true to the real life performance.

 

Let’s compare and contrast. Which one is technically better?

 

In other words, could you have equal technical performance and quality in a Class D amp?

 

- Jack.

jackhifiguy

Showing 1 response by erik_squires

erik_squires
15,709 posts
 

I personally prefer some Class D to some class A. And some A/B to A.  I currently use Class A/B in my Luxman 507ux and there is no way you could convince me to change to another amp based on the class alone.

Trying to label the value and quality of sound from an amplifier based on the class of the design is not useful.  Class A gets everyone's juices flowing due to the massive iron, heat and power consumption but it by no means makes it more desirable to an individual listener.

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