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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 toetapaudio

toetapaudio
474 posts
 
Somebody who really knows a lot about class D, Bruno Putzeys, designer of Hypex, Mola Mola and Kii, talking about the subject:

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/bruno-putzeys-head-class-d

We know somebody who moved away from a Soulution 710 to Mola Mola Kaluga’s. And consider they are one fifth of the cost. They drive difficult loads with ease, are very natural sounding on live recordings for example, they have a very natural deep and controlled bass and loads of power. They are also compact and don’t consume much electricity. The more you improve mains quality with better power cables, connectors, dedicated mains, balanced power, mains calming devices, the more these amps shine. In my opinion they are one of the finest amplifiers available today regardless of cost.
toetapaudio
474 posts
 
@taww, Mola Mola Kaluga’s. If you are in the U.K. we can arrange for you to try.
toetapaudio
474 posts
 
@erik_squires LOL

toetapaudio
474 posts
 
I agree with @erik_squires, you can’t make blanket statements that class D is “totally mediocre”. Have you heard Mola Mola Kaluga’s for example? We know somebody who moved over from the much regarded Soulution 710 to Mola Mola  Kaluga's. The MM’s cost one fifth of the price and they drove his speakers effortlessly. Lansche and Manger among others choose to use MM amplification  at the Munich High End Show. Not without reason.
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