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The Truth about Modern Class D

All my amps right now are Class D. ICEpower in the living room, and NAD D 3020 in the bedroom.

I’ve had several audiophiles come to my home and not one has ever said "Oh, that sounds like Class D."

Having said this, if I could afford them AND had the room, I’d be tempted to switch for a pair of Ayre monoblocks or Conrad Johnson Premiere 12s and very little else.

I’m not religious about Class D. They sound great for me, low power, easy to hide, but if a lot of cash and the need to upgrade ever hits me, I could be persuaded.

The point: Good modern Class D amps just sound like really good amplifiers, with the usual speaker/source matching issues.

You don’t have to go that route, but it’s time we shrugged off the myths and descriptions of Class D that come right out of the 1980’s.
erik_squires

Showing 3 responses by jdl57

jdl57
37 posts
 
O.K. I just got home from the first day of the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. There were two things I was excited to hear: the Kii speaker system and the AGD Vivace amps. The Kiis were a non-starter. Although I didn't do a long audition, I didn't like what I heard at all. They are internally amplified with Ncore amps. The Vivace amps ($15,000/pair-mono) however, were very close to changing my preconceived ideas of Class D. They were sweet and dynamic and very enjoyable until they got into the upper midrange/treble, think trumpets. There, they were hard and grating and generally unpleasant. I first thought it was the recording, but I continued to listen as I was truly enjoying the experience (speaker was Sigma Acoustics Vector XAC, $185,000 or so), but recording after recording exhibited the same harshness. I could have been the speakers, I suppose, but probably not. I pulled up this thread to see what others were thinking and a post by stereo5 was first with the same complaints I had. Class D is still in it's infancy and after today I have great hopes, but it's not there yet.
jdl57
37 posts
 
I have heard this amp touted as the best amplifier ever made. By contemporary standards it is not horribly expensive, but it is also not cheap. Through most of it’s range it was absolutely beautiful. I listened for a long time because the system sounded so good, although the soundstage was ridiculously huge, as were the speakers, so I blame them for that. If the harsh notes had happened only once or twice, I would have blamed the recordings, but I heard it again and again. I was actually left with great hope for Class D, but this isn’t the amp. I have moved to all Class A amps, I assume I am sensitive to switching distortion and Class A has no switching distortion. Class D also has no switching distortion, but there is a lot of signal manipulation going on in a Class D amp, maybe too much. This amp uses the much touted Gallium Nitride transistors, and is indeed state of the art. http://gan-fet.com/2014/02/13/rock-solid/#more-204
jdl57
37 posts
 
Hey @jdl57 - I have heard the effects you are talking about in a number of hotel rooms. It was poor room acoustics.

This was in a large conference room, much bigger than any room would be in a normal house. The speakers they were using was the Sigma Acoustics MAAT Vector XAC. They weigh 750 lbs each. I doubt the room had any effect on the sound at all, there were no close walls to reflect anything except for the one behind me. The ceiling was probably 20' high.
I specifically wanted to hear these amps and the Kii speakers since I had heard such glowing reports about both of them. I will say I was much less disappointed by the Vivace amps than I was the Kii speakers.
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