Yes, Class D has arrived. It took some fellows with radar experience to do it. You can buy the PuriFi modules for about $1000 (a pair, with a front end & connectors) that are used in NAD's well reviewed gear, LKV, and others. In their big amp, LKV adds their own front end and power supply and charges $10,000 for it. If you can DIY a suitable power supply (it needs three different voltages) you can have a PuriFi stereo amp for about $1200. I built two of them. If you don't want to build it yourself, Starke Sound offers a new version of their four channel amp, now called the Fiera4, for $1500. I have six of the earlier version in five different systemsand a marvelously tolerant wife. Starke designs their own power amp modules. Those are slightly smoother than the PuriFi in the upper treble region, to my ears anyway. I drive Maggie LRS, Linkwitz LX mini, LX 521, some slim Wharfdales, and several sets of DIY speakers with them and am very happy with the Starkes. If you don[t like the amp, you can return it. Starke is a commercial sound outfit and makes gear for sound reinforcement in halls and auditoriums. No chrome, no flashy looks. They didn't pay some designer to make it look like a geaming relic from Tut's tomb, I've praised this amp before on this site, but many people don't realize you don't have to spend a fortune to get great sound. It's not like the candy bar business where you sell hundreds of thousands of units. How many people really buy power amps? So the manufacturer's markups are considerable since a thousand units is a dream come true, and you have to have a building,insurance, a work crew and sales manager.. You can have excellent sound at a reasonable price, and you can save even more if you DIY. Happy Listening!
Class D Amplification Announcement
After 60 some odd years of disappointment, Class D has finally arrived. As per The Absolute Sound’s Jonathan Valin, the Borrenson-designed Aavik P-580 amp “is the first Class D amplifier I can recommend without the usual reservations. …the P-580 does not have the usual digital-like upper-mid/lower-treble glare or brick wall-like top-octave cut-off that Class D amps of the past have evinced.”
Past designers of Class D and audiophiles, rejoice; Michael Borrenson has finally realized the potential of Class D.