Class D amps

Nordick587 - it must've been long coma, since this partial list of companies making home Audio Class D was compiled in 2008:

Acoustic Reality www.acoustic-reality
eAR202, etc (ICEPower)

Aivin www.aivin
DT300 (www.aivin) (Tripath)

Analog Research Technology www.analogresearch-technology

AudioArt (NL) www.audioart
Van Medevoort MA240 (Hypex UcD)

Audiodigit www.audiodigit
MC 8x100 (Tripath)

AudioResearch www.audioresearch
150.2, 300.2, 150M (Tripath)

AV123 www.av123
X-Empower, xAmp (prelaunch (av123forum.com))
(Philips class-D?)

B&O www.icepower
(ICEPower)

BelCanto www.belcantodesign
Evo (Tripath) eOne (ICEPower)

Bertram www.audiokabel
(ICEPower)

Carver www.carverusa
300.2, 700.2, 1200.2

Cary Audio www.caryaudio
A 306 power amplifier (www.caryaudio)

Channel Islands Audio www.ciaudio
D100, D200 (Hypex UcD)

Chapter Audio www.chapteraudio
Couplet Power Amp (proprietary WMP class-D)

D-Sonic www.d-sonic
Magnum (www.d-sonic) (ICEPower)

DIYCable www.diycable
Exodus (www.diycable) (Hypex UcD)

Egosys www.egosys
Audiotrak DrAMP (www.audiotrak) (Tripath)

Elan www.elanhomesystems
D1200, D1600 (12 and 16 channel power amps, Tripath)

Electronic Visionary Systems www.tweakaudio
EVS-2 (www.tweakaudio) (ICEPower)

Flying Mole www.flyingmoleelectronics
(proprietary class-D)

Gilmore Audio www.glacieraudio
Raven, Raptor, Dragonfly (www.glacieraudio) m/ch (looks like ICE)

Halcro www.halcro
Lyrus

H2O Audio www.iceh2oaudio
M250, M500 (ICEpower)

Integra /Onkyo www.integrahometheater
DTA 9.4 (www.integrahometheater) 7x120W 8Ω

Jeff Rowland www.jeffrowland
(ICEPower)

Jjaz Audio www.jjaz
(ICEPower)

Kharma www.kharma
MP150 (www.kharma)

LC Audio www.lcaudio
Predator SE (www.lcaudio) (ZapPulse)

Marantz www.marantz
Opsodis ES-150 (www.marantz) (D2Audio) 2ch virtual surround

Medius [DK] www.medius
A II, A III (www.medius)

MG Audiolabs www.mglaudiolabs
Symphony (www.mglaudiolabs) (Hypex UcD)

Midgard Audio www.midgardaudio
(ICEPower)

MindCraft (NL) www.mindcraft
Media Amp One (www.mindcraft) (Hypex UcD)

Murano-Audio (TW) www.murano-audio
P500, P1000 (ICEPower)

NHT nhthifi.com>Power2 (nhthifi.com), Power5 (nhthifi.com) (ICEpower)

Nuforce www.nuforce
Ref 8, Ref 8b, Ref 9 (nPhysics proprietary class-D)

NuVo Technologies www.nuvotechnologies
NV-P2100 (www.nuvotechnologies)

Onkyo www.onkyo
A-1VL, A-9755, A-9555 (www.eu) (?)

PSAudio www.psaudio
GCA, GCMC (ICEPower)

Red Dragon Audio www.reddragonaudio
(ICEpower)

RedWineAudio www.redwineaudio
Clari-T, Lotus (Tripath)

Rotel www.rotel
1077 (7x100), 1092 (2x500) (ICEPower)

Sharp www.sharpusa
SM-SX1, SM-SX100

Sonneteer freespace.virgin
Brontë (Tripath)

Sony www.sony
TA-DA9000ES, TA-FA1200ES (www.stoneaudio) (S-Master)

Spectron www.spectronav
Musician, Troubador (int amp w digital inputs)

TactAudio/Lyngford www.tactaudio www.lyngford
Millennium & others (Equibit)

TEAC Esoteric teac.co
AZ-1 pre-main (translated (babel.altavista))

ThetaDigital www.thetadigital
Virtu PowerDAC (www.thetadigital) (Zetex class-Z)

UniwaveTek www.uniwavetek
Anaco II

Yamaha www.yamaha
MX-D1

Fidler, I'm familiar with Hypex modules. Hypex kits were very nice with low inductance slit foil electrolytic caps and big satisfaction of building it yourself.

Magfan, I remember IR but there are many others. The list is old.

As for rudeness, it would be very rude of me to ask on this forum if TT or tubes still exist, displaying total ignorance, especially when information is on the cover of most audio magazines and internet. One would have to make serious effort to avoid knowing that.

My Rowland 102 comes from the first generation and sounds incredible. As I understand it, there is very little difference between two generations and the reason for "big improvement" is to make easier for some people, including well known audio critics, to remove foot from the mouth.

Break in takes very long with class D and my amp started sounding much better (smoother, more refined) after 400 hours. The issue is not if class D amps are the best but rather if they are good for the money. Not too many amps around $1500 have such immediacy, transparency, smooth highs, liquid mids, and iron fist controlled lows as my 200W Rowland 102 - smallest of the Rowland family.

I just typed "class D" into search engine and got 300 threads in response. It is a very good tool for novice. It is not mandatory but rather good manners.

Nordic587 - Like any other class of amplifiers there are better and worse class D amps while everything depends on system synergy. My small class D amp is good for the price but in different price range you'll find many great class D amps like mentioned Kharma. Class D is this strange thing that sound at the same time great to some people and horrible to others. One limitation of class D is bandwidth related to switching frequency that is limited by speed of available Mosfets. 65kHz bandwidth of my amplifier causes about 20deg phase shift at 20kHz and therefore improper (shift) summing of harmonics. You can still find much higher bandwidth in some other class D amps like Spectron Musician III.

Class D used to be very primitive sawtooth modulator that converted voltage level to duty cycle (and therefore average value after filtering) with very limited bandwidth. Todays class D is much more sophisticated and resembles high power Delta-Sigma A/D converter byproduct. Principle of operation is well known and accepted (SACD is exactly the same thing - recorded PWM that just needs filtering) but implementation is constantly improving. I would rather live with existing limitations instead of TIM distortion (and therefor bright odd harmonic) produced by many class AB amps.