Stereophile’s review of the HiFi Rose GaN Class D integrated and ASR’s positive review of the DIY Nilai500DIY Amplifier make the new breed of Class D sound more interesting. The DIY Nilai500DIY is something that might be well suited to my garage/outdoor system instead of the big class AB monos I have out there now.
Should I steer clear of class D amps
I’m finally upgrading my amp. I currently have an Onkyo TXNR 636 which has served very well but it’s now the weakest component in my system.
I’ve a budget of up to £1200-£1300 and been looking at the NAD C3050.
I was initially drawn to the NAD C3050 when I saw the VU meters but these are not deal breakers if I can get a much better amp without them, but I really do like them. I spoke with a dealer and he mentioned all NAD amplifiers are now class D and that’s now where I’m stuck procrastinating my purchase. My understanding was class D never really took off, despite the power efficiency due to the HF noise caused by the PWM. Times change things improve but I can’t find much about how they have mitigated this, in fact an article in EETimes refers to how the tests performed for THD etc are quite irrelevant in a digital amp and quoted figures may be very different in real life. In essence, the way of testing makes them look better than they are. This may be true but do they sound good? We all know vinyl is technically an inferior medium but I certainly prefer it’s sound.
I am listening to classic/ heavy rock and a mixture of lossless streaming from a NAS into a Cambridge Audio CNX V2 and vinyl off a Technics 1500C with a Pro-Ject DS phono stage all into monitor audio bronze 5s.
I need a new amp. I need slapping out of my indecision but it’s not an insignificant amount of £££ and I want to get it right. Should I stick with AB ? My electric bill can’t withstand class A or valve regardless of sound quality.
Also what’s the thoughts on NAD in general, I’m my youth they were good amps, but then so were Pioneer.
Showing 3 responses by mitch2
@ghdprentice +1, very good answer. A few years ago, I moved from some nice sounding class A amps to Bruno Putzeys' Class D NC1200 monoblocks that were all the rage at the time. Unfortunately, as mentioned by @ghdprentice, "everyone realized they just didn’t sound that good", including me. In essence, they just did not sound natural to me wrt high frequencies, decay, and spatial ambience of the venue and between musicians. Those amps made me think of individual musicians each playing in their own isolated sound booth. I have nothing against class D, but have not heard any examples perform at the same level as the better class A and AB amps I have owned. However, I do like them powering my subs. You clearly know what you like - "I currently have an Onkyo TXNR 636 which has served very well." Therefore, take your time, go listen to some amplifiers, and then pick what sounds good to you, not what others say you should like, or what has the coolest-looking VU meters.
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@jbuhl - good catch, yes the quote is mistakenly out of context. Nevertheless, in my system and to my ears, the NC1200 amps did not compare favorably to the Class A and AB amps I was using, for the reasons stated. I don't know whether NC1200 is now considered older technology but at the time they were around $10K/pair and were being touted as a replacement for Class A. I have not tried GAN or Ice modules, so I cannot comment on those but all of the Class D versions seem to have their supporters. Ralph's GAN amps would be interesting to try but not enough power for me. As stated by several here, the best approach for the OP is to listen and select what he/she believes sounds the best. |