New amp being touted as among the best ever......

It has a forward looking, unique design and is expensive.

It probably sounds very good also but I have not read anything yet that makes me believe it outperforms the competition on sound quality alone.

Also not sure about the value proposition.

It should appeal to those with the bucks that want something that performs well and is a little different.

I do not seeany details about the class A/D design and how that works, so I am suspicious, but I suspect it should appeal to Class A fans that are otherwise shy about anything with the word "digital" or "switching" in its design even if it turns out to be more about semantics than actual technical innovation.

Wait a few years and there will be more smaller gadgets to choose from with equally good sound and modern features for considerably less I will wager.

Esmith,

I think it is a true digital amp meaning that a digital rather than analog signal is processed internally by the amp section to then drive the speakers.

For that to happen, any analog signals input must first be converted to digital internally.

The combo of being a true digital amp with using a hybrid Class A and Class D amp section where the Class A apparently drives the high frequencies would seem to be a very innovative approach that I would like to hear. A sophisticated digital filtering and analog cross over circuit would be needed internally as well to pull this off I would think.

Well, digital amps are fairly new and relatively unknown waters for many. It is a much different way of doing things (a mostly digital signal path throughout) than traditional systems where most of the signal path is analogue.

I think it is definitely a wave of the future. I'd be interested to hear some digital amps to get a feel for how well the technology performs at this point. Whether it is up to snuff yet or not though, I have no doubt that the time will come when it is and that it will open up some unique new horizons in audio sound reproduction along the way.

I wonder how the new NAD digital integrated amp compares at $6000?

That is getting some good press as well.

That's a piece I gotta hear!

Welcome to the future folks!

US,

YEs that is unusual for Class D amps but not so much for integrateds, and is something I might be wary of for my main rig.

Come to think of it, I am not aware of any Class D integrated, digital or not, that "doubles down".

I know its a challenge to use massive power supplies in an integrated but I would think Class D amps might make it more viable, unless perhaps RF interference is an issue as well as EM perhaps?

I suppose you could have a digital pre-amp with a digital out to digital in on a separate CLass D amp. Not sure I know of such a product currently though.

I really believe digital amps will be a game changer within a few years max.

"The fact that an amplifier may or may not 'double down' really says nothing about its sound."

That depends.

It does not define the sound however it can help deliver the best results especially in teh low end in practice with many speakers with difficult loads (more the norm) that are common out there today.

It is not a prime consideration though for those speaker designs that break that mold and present a more balanced load top to bottom and are also inherently more tube amp friendly.

Doesn't it all depend ... on ... lots of things, always?

It goes against my instincts and experience to assume though that there is only one way (tubes) to make tasty audio soup and do the harmonic balance plus all the rest well.

After all, we sent men to the moon years ago. Surely engineers know how to properly apply transistors in SS amplifiers by now as well, especially in the digital age (whoops I used the D word), for those who seek good sound via transistors and not tubes.