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Class D = Trash?

So, I'm on my second class D amp. The first one, a Teac AI-301DA which claimed to use an ICE module, was unlistenable trash. I burned it in for a few weeks, it just couldn't perform, so I sent it back. Following that, I tried the new Emotiva A-300 (class A/B). It was significantly better, but lacking in too many ways for my tastes. So I changed gears, got an 845 SET from China -- and it was an immediate and massive improvement.

So, before I went further down the SET road, I wanted to try a better class D product using a modern class D module. I settled on the D-Sonic M3-800S with the Pascal module and custom input stage. I read from reviews that these things like to have big cables, so I picked up an eBay 8 gauge power cable (Maze Audio, el-cheapo Oyaide copy plugs, braided 4-wire cable) to go along with it.

Mid-range GONE.
Soundstage depth CRUSHED.
Euphonics DISAPPEARED.

Yes, resolution went up. Driver control went up, allowing me to play compressed rock/pop and orchestra with the speakers being able to render it all. But enjoyment in the sound is basically gone. Using my best power cable (LessLoss Original) improved performance, but didn't fundamentally change the amp's nature. I ran back to my headphones (Focal Utopias) to detox my ear canals.

So, how long does a class D need to burn-in? I want to give it a fair shake before writing the technology off forever. 
madavid0

Showing 9 responses by madavid0

madavid0 OP
214 posts
 
I have 3 set of speakers. Chane 1.4s, garbage. Zu Omen Mk.II -- good dyanmics, okay-ish resolution, forward but shallow soundstage. My current reference is the Fritz Carbon 7 SE: http://www.fritzspeakers.com/DreamWeaverFritzCarbon7SESpecPage.asp

These speakers have a very benign impedance and phase curve; I got them specifically to be a good match with the 845. I don't know if there are speakers that are easier to drive. Resolution is improved, I'd call it mid-fi if compared to my headphone rig. On the 845 (the cheapest 845 SET I could find from China) soundstage is extends a few feet beyond the edge of the Carbon, and has a satisfying amount of depth.

But here's the thing: I don't WANT to be tied to some giant space-heater monstrosity that -- if I upgrade to a "real" 845 -- is going to weight 80-120 lbs. Good 845 implementations need elephantine transformers. 1000 volts, JESUS. I want to move forward and live in the present. But not at the expense of the sound.
madavid0 OP
214 posts
 
Shtinkydog how long did you have the burn it in?
madavid0 OP
214 posts
 
I will say this: the first day of the D-Sonic was absolutely horrid, the mids were so rolled off that the ends of words were missing altogether. I figured that was just first-day garbage, and thankfully that's all that it was.

My 845 only took a few hundred hours to burn in. 1200 hours, jesus...I also read someone say that class D can get worse before it gets better during burn-in. D-Sonic offers a 30 day trial period, I guess that's a good 700+ hours. SIGH!

I'm not married to the Fritz speakers, either. I still have the Zu Omens. I do like their forcefull dynamics, and if the D-Sonic can give them depth to their soundstage...eventually...that might be the way I go.


madavid0 OP
214 posts
 
I can definitely detect that element of...whatever it is. Dryness? Poor blending of upper- mids into highs? Lack of weight? There's a SOMETHING to the sound that hints to listener fatigue.
madavid0 OP
214 posts
 
Also....am I crazy or is this amp casting an unstable image? Like sounds don't want to focus and stay there.

Like....the vocalist says a word that happens a little to the right, but the trailing consonant finishes a little on the left.
madavid0 OP
214 posts
 
Damn, 24 hours later and this amp sounds like trash -- rolled off / recessed mids again, soundstage depth almost gone...wow. I guess this thing with wired class D burn-in is true.
madavid0 OP
214 posts
 
The Teac I mentioned that supposedly used an ICE module was virtually un-listenable. I will admit that I only burned it in for a few weeks, perhaps not enough for a class D.

This D-Sonic uses a modern Pascal module for which I read has technical wizardry that goes way over my head in order to reduce switching noise even further than previously accomplished. When it doesn't sound like trash, I do appreciate the extra resolution and cohesion in the face of difficult passages. I guess I'll just have to be patient.

But, damn, this is the first time I've experienced fluctuating quality during burn-in. I'm very used to burn-in, but there's always a linear progression from "horrid" to "good".
madavid0 OP
214 posts
 
It's just that...jeeze...1500 hours...damn. I thought waiting for the Furutech outlet to break in (800 hours) was savage...
madavid0 OP
214 posts
 
WOW, savage!
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