Thanks mapman. I'll look further into Class D Audio. I'm not thrilled with that industrial look you mentioned but the size and sound are the major factors for me... well, and price of course.
Need recommendations for high gain/small footprint class d amplifier
I'm looking for a smaller sized class d amplifier to biamp the bass drivers in my custom speakers, which I was told should be about a 3 ohm load. I'd say something with at least a nominal voltage gain over 30 dB should do. My stereo rack was built for smaller components, mainly using Bel Canto and Red Dragon currently. I can squeeze something up to 13.75 inches into the rack but a bit narrower would be easier to work with. I've been considering the Channel Islands D-500 but would like to keep it under a $1000 used if possible. Your recommendations are appreciated.
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If you decide to go with Hypex NCORE like Buckeye, spend a little ($300) more to get NCOREx line such as NCx500 instead of NC502MP. The amplification efficiency (A.E.) is better for handling lower impedance loads https://www.buckeyeamp.com/shop/amplifiers/hypex/ncx500/2_channel Speaker Imp. NC502MP A.E. NCx500 A.E. 2 ohm 450 watts 32% 700 watts 46% 4 ohm 500 watts 71% 700 watts 92% 8 ohm 350 watts - 380 watts - Price $695 $995 As shown, NCx500 will handle 4 ohm load speaker much better. The amp efficiency from both models for 2 ohm load are still not great but not bad for handling not so demanding low imp. speakers for the price. |
lanx0003---only their NC2K monoblocks have sufficient gain, 31dB, all their other amps are 25db at the high setting, but you do make a good point to consider. I guess the best thing to do is just go to all the class d amp manufacturers websites and compare directly. That'll be time consuming, and I was just hoping for some recommendations that actually are in 30+dB range. Thanks
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It seems like you never measure your custom speakers. Try using REW to measure the impedance-phase angle versus frequency yourself, and then compute the EPDR using a more refined empirical equation (from Stereophile) that I derived in my post in the following thread. EPDR will reveal the most critical load impedance you are likely to encounter. For nominally 3-ohm-rated speakers, depending on the phase angle, you will likely face impedances below 2 ohms in the mid- or upper-bass frequency range. This is why I strongly urge you to carefully consider the amplification efficiency of the power amplifier when dealing with speakers rated for a 2-ohm load. https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/impedance-the-most-ignored-and-useful-measurement-tool My Buchardt S400 MKII is rated at 4 ohms, but the EPDR drops as low as 1.5 ohms at 110Hz—very demanding. Even my Parasound 125-150 watt high-current power amplifier (35-45 amps peak) could not drive it efficiently. I need to place the speaker closer to the front wall to achieve better bass response, but this comes at the cost of compromising soundstage depth. Check out the impedance-phase angle and EPDR vs. frequency chart posted for S400 II by Erin, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
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