2. amps-preamps
  3. 1171378892

Class D amp driving Thiel

I was honing in on a 2 channel system and had seriously narrowed down the contenders until last Saturday. After not being impressed with a pair of B&W CM7's I was encouraged to listen to a set of Thiel 1.6.

It was amazing. Driven by a Bryston amplifier they had detail and precision with beautiful tonality. Yes, they did lack bass under 50 hz. But completely different and world's better than the Thiel's I owned and powered with tubes years ago. So now I have to rethink things. I have only a small shelf for the SB3 and amplifier and can't fit (or afford) anything above 30 lbs or 5 inches tall.

Maybe a second hand Krell 400xi would work but Krell's rap is that they can be bright and fatiguing. And I can't do anything bigger or costlier. While the Naim forum has good reports of Thiel's being driven by even a Nait 5i I am a little cautious based on my previous experience. As I learned the hard way you have to muscle up on Thiel's or they sound bright and nasty.

So, the thought of a class D amp came to mind. Small, light, and powerful. Though I haven't even heard one before (hard to find them in Chicago, believe it or not) my interest is piqued. But would it be up to driving the load I am contemplating without getting bright or harsh? Any thoughts but more importantly experiences are appreciated.
wdrazek

Showing 5 responses by wdrazek

wdrazek OP
100 posts
 
Drubin: Thanks for sharing your experience. The 102 looks interesting. Did you use that or the 201 (or some other model)? I'll need to listen again to the 1.6 to see how I feel about its bass performance. Not that I'm a bass freak but it's always been my feeling that 42 hz (the bottom note of a bass guitar) is the least extension I would be comfortable with.

Narrod: I humbly disagree with you on Thiel. My earlier experience was negative but properly driven I found a lot to like. To each his own.

Jaybo: I liked the Bryston a lot. Unfortunately, it's $3k second hand. I'm not ready to go there. The B60 might work but it's only 60 per side.
wdrazek OP
100 posts
 
Thanks very much for all of the replies. It looks like the Bel Canto and Rowland are tested and confirmed matches and that CIA is well regarded although nobody responding has direct experience with them and Thiel's. Nobody that's heard class D and Thiel has given a bad report on the combo.

Given that I want to minimize boxes and not drop over $2k or so on the amp/pre the next step is exploring the Bel Canto and PS Audio integrateds. Too bad Rowland and CIA doesn't make any integrated class D amps.
wdrazek OP
100 posts
 
Matching the amplifier to the speaker is what I am trying to do. It's not about this sounds good with that, or something else doesn't.

There are real requirements that these speakers make on an amplifier - nominal 4 ohm impedance, reaching 3 or so at various points. Many amplifiers will not respond kindly to this type of load.
wdrazek OP
100 posts
 
The question I have with Nuforce is that the highest power units the ones that are well received. The I-7 is now 100 pc but it's the lowest powered piece in the line.
wdrazek OP
100 posts
 
I know the power was bumped to 100 wpc but more power than that is news to me.
More to discover