New Class D amplifiers


Hello. I'm very interested in getting your opinion on the newer Class D amplifiers.  There has been a couple of very positive reviews (by Guttenberg) of the Bel Canto C6i and NAD M23.  These, and perhaps some others are offering new technology that significantly lower the class D noise level and other drawbacks.    

I currently use a Class A amp, Pass Labs INT-25 (with Dynaudio Heritage Special speakers) which has a wonderful sound. But I am transitioning to another location, and due to using Roon primarily I find that this system stays on most of the day.  Due to heat and power usage of Class A amplifiers, I'm interested in translating to Class D if I find something comparable.

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Showing 1 response by photon46

At present, I have a Luxman m-700u/c-700u combo and PS Audio M1200 mono/PS Audio BHK preamp combo in rotation. The PSA M1200 amps use IcePower modules with proprietary tubed input stage. These two amplifiers are a near dead heat in sound quality, just different strengths. There's no clear cut "winner." Like Erik Squire's previous post, I prefer the Luxman combo for the type of music I listen to but could easily imagine someone else making another choice. 

The implementation of custom input stages using the IcePower modules is apparently important. I also have an amp that just uses the stock unmodified AS1200 module with high end Furutech wiring and connectors and it doesn't hold a candle to the performance of the PS Audio amps. There is also a difference in older IcePower modules vs. modules used in Legacy and PS Audio M1200 amps. The older modules used in many amps are decade old tech.