2. amps-preamps
  3. 186622-124012

Class D amplifiers. What's the future look like?

I have a number of amplifiers: Luxman C900U, Bryston 4BSST2, Audio Research VSI 60 Integrated, NAD C298 and some other less noteworthy units. As I swap them in and out of my main system, I've come to the conclusion my very modest NAD C298 is about all I really need. Granted if I had extremely hard to drive speakers, I might be better with the Bryston or Luxman, but driving my Harbeth 40.2 speakers, the NAD is just fine. 

I thought a while ago that class D would quickly overtake amplifier design type mainly due to profit margin which I think would be much greater than A/B and tube. I'm not saying the other design styles would go away, just that D would be the most common style. 

Clearly my prediction is not panning out, at least in the mid and high-end audio world and I'm wondering why? It seems companies such as Bryston, Luxman, McIntosh, Hegel and so many others are sticking by A/B. I'm no "golden ears" guy, but is the perceived sound issue(weather real or imaginary) still holding D back? Maybe my assumption of profit margin is not correct? Maybe the amplifier manufacturers are experimenting with D, but keeping tight lipped until release? Perhaps brand loyalists don't want change similar to what happened with "new coke". What else am I missing?

 

61falcon

Showing 4 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires
16,740 posts
 

@atmasphere  Should I have said with a comparator??

erik_squires
16,740 posts
 

Sorry, I thought Carver's cube was Class H?

erik_squires
16,740 posts
 

are not longer being criticized as sounding thin or bright...but instead are being praised for sounding like/better than some of the highly regarded class a and class a/b amps.

ICEpower convincingly solved this problem decades ago.  There are some megabuck Class A amps I won't listen to but plenty of ICEpower amps that I will.

Perhaps the GaN amps sound even better, but the truth is we've been blessed with excellent Class D amps for a while. The best comparison I have to triangulate is that I could not tell my Class D from my Parasound so I sold the Parasound.

Then I switched to Luxman which was even better. :) 

erik_squires
16,740 posts
 

Class D is not digital, per se. Some manufacturers push the envelope though.

Class D is switching, but there’s no analog to digital/digital to analog process involved. It’s all done with feedback. :)

My guess however is that if we include all speaker amplifiers including those used in telephones and TVs and cars and portable Bluetooth speakers and your various talking devices out there that Class D accounts for more than 99% of all amplifiers made today. We in this forum are probably less than 0.1% of the remaining 1%.

More to discover