Has anyone switched from Class AB/A to Class D? Was it better? Was it worse?

I tried Ralph's Atma Class D. It sounded pretty good. The bass was excellent, but the upper frequencies just seemed 'off'. (Which I put down to feedback). -And, I still own Atmasphere tubed amp and pre.

For me, it will be Class A/AB for the while...

Bob

I’ve always been a tube guy myself. However being in this business, you have to hear different technologies. In the beginning, Class D did not sound all that good as it was a new technology. They really have come a long way but like everything else, there are good and bad examples out there. I am a Class D fan (GaN FET) but I do not limit myself. If I like it, I’ll use it. 

In my primary residence the electronics is supplied by Conrad Johnson and the amp is the ART 27A, Class A.  In our summer home the electronics is Marantz, and the amp is an integrated PM10, Class D.  Before sending them to their final destination, I was able to compare the C-J and Marantz components quite carefully.  The C-J excelled at microdetail, but in terms of liquidity, tonal accuracy, and overall presentation they were remarkably similar.    

As others have mentioned, it seems the topology of the amplifier isn’t what’s important but the implementation.  I really enjoy both my Class A Pass Labs XA30.8 and my Class D Primare A60.  They each have a different sound.  The Primare almost sounds like some tube amps I’ve heard.  Just very smooth and nice to listen to.  The Pass is... well a Pass Labs... absolutely amazing with detail, imaging, tonal accuracy etc.  But it also is like having a heater in my studio when it’s running.  I have a solid climate control setup and only run the amplifier when I’m using the system but yea it’s a lot.  I’ve also tried quite a few A/B and D amps that just didn’t cut it compared to these amps.

Best advice I can give is if there’s ANY way to demo that piece of gear, then do that before purchasing unless you get a very good deal and don’t mind reselling.  You just never know what it’s going to sound like in your system until you get to live with it for a while and A/B it with your current setup.  Class D are lightweight so at least they aren’t rough with shipping costs!  Best of luck to you OP!  Please tell us what you decide.

In two weeks I should have a better understanding of GaN Fet amps. 
Will be using Class D Audio’s mono blocks paired with a Benchmark LA4 preamp.

Linear Tube Audio DAC fed by a Shanling ET-3 all into some Spendor D9’s.

My streaming computer is out for upgrades.