@audioman58 The class D amps we make right now are exactly that and were from the start.
Do high dollar mono blocks truly improve the Sound Quality over the mid tier amps
I'm currently running a pair of Classe Delta Mono"s to drive my Wilson Alexx V's. IMO they sound wonderful with plenty of power. I've been considering upgrading these amps to the next price/quality level. My biggest concern is whether I'll get the level of improvement in SQ that will move the needle. I'd love to hear from folks who have made this move in their systems or heard comparisons at shows or dealers.
Showing 6 responses by atmasphere
@audioman58 We spent about 5 years refining the amp we released. It had to sound better than our tube amps, else people in the market might think we were nuts or just cashing in. Plus I wanted to enjoy them in my own system and not miss the tubes. We met those goals and so the amps haven't needed refinement since release. I can't speak for other manufacturers in that regard- each follows their own path. Its not as if we are sitting on our hands though. We switched to some newer devices in the 2nd year of production as they made our heatsink more effective. That required an entirely new module. But it does not sound different from the old one. |
@audioman58 What is meant by 'even better'? |
@skinzy Its not just low heat and light weight! Class D offers design criteria to the designer that also allow for some very nice distortion characteristics. In case you are not aware of this fact, the difference you heard between amps when you upgraded was the difference in the distortion signature of those amps. Class D offers a means to keep what distortion is made quite innocuous to the human ear. So if they are designed properly they can be very musical, erasing the advantages that class A or AB operation used to hold. |
@skinzy I did. Apparently you didn't consider my answer valid, even though it was based on exactly what you asked about. I gave you an accurate answer; in case it was not obvious it can be boiled down to this: 'It depends.' I gave the reasons why. Put another way, going up the line may or may not be an improvement; its entirely possible that something far less expensive might sound better. I can go into the technical reasons why this is so if you are interested.
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@skinzy 'The next level' has little to do with price just so you know. High end audio isn't driven by price (although many think it is), its driven by intention. On top of that there's something called the 'Veblen Effect' which causes people to think that if they spend more money they will get more value. Sometimes that's true and sometimes it isn't! Put another way it sounds like what you really want is something that sounds better. That may or may not be the amps. FWIW, sound quality always starts with the source- get that wrong and nothing you do downstream will sort things out. If the source is right, the preamp is the next step. Since you are running a balanced power amp, consider this: there is a standard for balanced lines which I've found many high end audio manufacturers seem to ignore. If the standard (AES48) is supported, then you'll find the interconnect cables to not contribute to the sound of the system- they will be far more neutral (which is part of the goal of using balanced lines, other than elimination of ground loops). |