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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 4 responses by mapman

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,636 posts
 
None of my 3 Class D amps sound "hard and grating". In fact the exact opposite..... Smooth and detailed....most non-fatiguing.

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,636 posts
 
Adam,

Adam I agree with the "somewhat artificial" assessment in many cases.

If you ever get a chance to hear a pair of OHM Walsh speakers I wonder if they might shift your opinion somewhat. Especially off a good Class D amp and maybe a well-applied tube or two upstream if desired.

The Ohms are a radically different design that excels in coherence and reverberant field which effectively bridges the gap between sounding hifi versus more lifelike.

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,636 posts
 
I agree Class D is just fine. Competes just as fine as any other design tube or SS. Class A is also very fine but problem there is size weight and overall cost of ownership especially if many watts called for. Class D these days easily competes and offers unique benefit in these areas that matter practically to many.

George talks like no Class D amp can compete with any other kind whereas we all know quality and cost varies greatly with all kinds of amps.

Now if one wants to compare a specific class D amp to some other then there may be something worth talking about.

That's the truth.  ☝️
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,636 posts
 
I have Bel Canto ref1000m in main system and C5i in second system. Both are fast and clean but sound different.  Each is hard to fault and sounds perfectly lovely matched into the right system. I will probably never own anything other than Class D amps moving forward. If the C5i did not work out I was ready to move to a modest power tube amp in my second system moving forward but the need for that never developed. Both are absolutely wonderful pieces of technology and worth every cent.

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