Class D is just Dandy!

@milpai

Which Parasound?

A21 driving Focal Profile floor standers

How did the sound change from Parasound to Class D.

I can’t answer that because I don’t believe in the class itself making a sound. If you ask how did it change between my A21 and ICEPower 250ASP I can honestly say they sounded identical in good and bad ways. Very laid back and maybe even too laid back with no euphonic colorations

I am wondering why you went back to class AB.

I didn’t. I went to a Luxman because it sounded better. In particular, compared to both the Parasound and ICEpower it had more extension in the bass and treble and an almost tube quality to the midrange and treble. The Luxman just happens to be A/B.  I suspect much of the sound quality of the Luxman however is in the preamp design so I hope to switch to a Luxman preamp (perhaps tubed) when I go active.

And now looking to change to active speakers.

Making speakers is how I enjoy my hobby and the next step in my system’s evolution is to convert my 2-way speakers with passive crossovers to 3-way actives.

I am very curious about NAD M23 since it is not a beast and seems well made. But not sure if I will like it compared to the Parasound A21.

I can’t speak about that particular jump. I’m using a Hypex plate amp for my center and I like it a great deal, but the NAD hybrid amps are significantly different in design so hard to compare.

@erik_squires ,

Thanks for sharing your experience. The A21 is a killer amp and punches above it's price point. I believe I will have to put in significantly more money to upgrade this to another Class AB or D.

Making speakers is how I enjoy my hobby

That is the most important (No.1) goal of this hobby and good to know that you are having a great time with it.

@yyzsantabarbara  I had the Coda 16 and it was just not a good match with my Spatial X5s.  So its hard to compare the sound.  In my system the Coda 16 never sounded as good as the professional reviews or the testimonials by posters here on Audiogon.  In my system, the PSAudio M1200 monoblocks sound better and give me superlative sound.  The Spatial qualities of these amps is superb.  Their clarity is stunning and given that they are hybrids there is nothing sterile about them. 

@gmichaellittle that is interesting and a great win for you since you saved money in that exchange. I was about to buy a used M1200 last month but went with the even cheaper Schitt Wotan.

I found that the #16 needs a DAC or other sources that play nice with Class A. A rolled of DAC is a no go for me with the #16.

I have not done head-to-head with the Wotan and the #16 on my cone speaker but have on my Magnepan Mini. The $2k Wotan sounds a lot like the #16, It is a bit warmer than the #16 and it also has tremendous bass response like the #16. I even removed my KEF KC62 sub from my Mini system when using the Wotan since the bass was too much.

I cannot think of any audiophile attribute that the Wotan does not come close or match the #16. The Wotan seems a bit more aggressive than the #16.

If any of you have heard the well-received Schott Aegir v1 amp, the Wotan sounds like a cleaner version of that amp on top, a very energetic sound (not laid back), and huge bass. I like this amp.

My experience with ICEPower and Parasound was that they tend to be warm and have lots of bass.

The Coda lacks the warmth but has the bass.  When I last heard the matching preamps I felt they were not a good match and always felt Codas would do better with an amazing tube pre.