!!!OK OK - I'm Big Enough To Admit I Was DEAD WRONG!!! Class D Doesn't Always Suck!!!


 In preparation for a move to the Philippines later this year,I needed a system I could pack in my travel trunk that offered:
 small enough size & light enough weight to travel well,multi voltage operation(120/240 volt) so that I can use it anywhere,plenty of digital inputs including USB/Optical,Bluetooth 5.0 along with a decent headphone circuit & lastly,sound at least comparable to the SimAudio Moon 240i/Harbeth M30.2Xd system I was replacing...
 I started with a Vincent Audio Class A/B,compact hybrid integrated..While I could easily live with the sound,it just wasn’t small enough,even with it’s half size frame,to be a viable option + NO USB input..Next was an Advance Paris,Class A/B,MyConnect 60..Same result,fine sounding by just too big & again,NO USB input...
 I finally accepted the fact that I was going to have to bite the bullet & give a Class D option a try..I demo’d a few amps,a PS Audio Sprout 100,a fosi something,a Topping & an SMSL,even a fairly expensive Primare but I just wasn’t "feeling"the music..Oh they were technically decent,offering great bass & decent enough staging & imaging,but none of them had that organic,natural tone I craved...
 Then I discovered Creek Audio had rebooted the venerable 4040 integrated amplifier in a modern,compact,lightweight Class D configuration,offering all the features I required including 120/240 volt operation..I remember the original 4040 from long ago,with it’s wonderful green display & natural,organic sound driving Celestion speakers..
 Remembering that original experience with the CAS4040,& having owned an Evolution 50a, I was well versed in the Creek house sound & had a pretty good idea that if anyone could make Class D sound musical,natural & organic,Mike Creek would be the guy..
 Well 3 weeks ago,based solely on that gut feeling, I grabbed one of the few remaining,updated 4040a units in Black finish available at the untarrifed price of $1280.00 delivered, & have had it playing a little under 2 weeks now..My beloved Harbeth M30.2Xd’s have been rehomed & replaced with the miniscule yet wonderfully musical ProAc Tablette Anniversaries & I’m STILL wearing a mile wide smile!
 Yes,I did give up a bit of deeper bass,mainly at low listening levels,but with just a bit of volume,the bass those tiny titans put out,driven by the Creek amp is full,deep enough to allow a kick drum to sound like it should & leave me wanting for nothing..Cellos have such a beautiful dark,deep voice they will make you cry & the bodies have resonance you can really feel..Everything I listen to just sounds right...
 Imaging & staging in pretty amazing..I am spoiled having had a couple of really good tube amps in the past & I will say hands down,the Creek OUTPERFORMS the SimAudio 240i in these areas of performance,being deeper,wider & better defined!
Headphone performance?Driving either HiFiMan Ananda Nano's or iBasso SR-1's,late night listening sessions are magical..Mike Creek really understands how important headphone listening can be!
 So yea,I was wrong about Class D..With the right implementation it is highly musical,wonderfully natural & organic,and when it comes to it’s physical characteristics of size & weight just can’t be bettered...

 

freediver

Class D from the 1970's is different than Class D of today. Some people are just stuck in the 'old man tells at cloud' world. Class D is the present and future of audio, save for those who enjoy Tube amps.

I love my N-core based March Audio. Is it dry? Wet? Salty or sour? I don’t know. But, I can say compared to my past equipment (Parasound, NAD, Musical Fidelity, Peachtree), this seems dead neutral to me with the clarity and dynamics that seem like real music.

Yeah it seems Class D has finally come of age in recent years. I hadn’t encountered a Class D amp that I could live with long term (and I tried many) until recently with the Axxess Forté1 integrated. It finally dethroned my Yamaha integrateds. I also prefer it to the Denon A110 and Luxman 507Z. 

There was a time not long ago when I believed I would never be a class D convert, but here I am listening to my Forté1 and not yearning for anything. The fact that it’s significantly easier on the power bill is icing on the cake. 

I too was skeptical of class D amplification, however I purchased a Jeff Rowland Capri S and a pair of Rowland 501 mono  blocs for my Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy 5.1’s and I was not disappointed. 1000W of power opened up my Wilson’s and I have never looked back. Amazing soundstage, increased headroom and plenty of bass punch. Done correctly, it can definitely rival class A/B IMHO. 

My Crown XLS 2002 kicks butt  for my yard. I've been impressed from day 1 and its so effcient.