Time to buy a class D amp?

Hi there,
I am a newbie to the audiophile world and am looking to make a step up from my current setup which is a Monitor Audio Bronze BR2 + KEF TDM 45B + Denon 1910 AVR (all entry level except for the KEF). I’ve found a nice deal online for two Red Dragon S500 Monoblocks for $2K and I am just about ready to jump the trigger. To those who’ve actually used class D amplifiers (as I really cannot participate in the class A/AB vs D discussion) do you know if there is a great difference between the pascal amplifiers vs ICEpower vs HYPEX ? The speakers will of course also be upgrades soon.

I’ve found a nice deal online for two Red Dragon S500 Monoblocks for $2K and I am just about ready to jump the trigger.

They use the same  Class-D modules, slightly moded by Pascal that you’ll find in the $10K Rowland Research Continuum 2.

https://forum.audiogon.com/posts/1820971?highlight=Rowland%2B%2BContinuum%2BRed%2BDragon

Me, I’d advise you to go a nice linear A/B amp

Cheers George

Hi George,

Having read through all pages I more than understand your viewpoint on A/B’s. The issue for me is mostly that I am living in an apartment and have a space issue, so for now a Class-D will give me good amplification in a form-factor that will match my current situation. As soon as I have a dedicated room to listen to my audio to I will be looking at other options!

Regardless, thanks for your reply, I’ll look into it!

Hello bolduque,

     It seems you’re at the stage that I, and likely almost every Audiogon member, was at in the early point in their interest in the home audio hobby. You’ve built a decent system that you enjoy and are interested in exploring how you can make your listening experiences even more enjoyable.
     Welcome to the hobby that, from my experience as a now 61 year old still very interested in home audio and video, will likely become a lifelong pursuit and journey for yourself. My main advice to you is to educate yourself and broaden your listening experience. This involves reading beginner’s guides to home audio, joining multiple audio forums (joining this one is already a very good start) and listening to as many audio systems as you can at friends, relatives and audio stores to find out what’s possible, the costs and what you like. There’s a lot to learn and listen to. I think an important skill to develop is restraint and resisting the urge to buy too soon which almost all salespersons will be constantly urging you to do. I suggest you take your time, save your money, learn as much as you can and take notes.
     It’s really a balancing act since you’re only going to improve your system by buying stuff but you want to make sure it’s the right stuff for you. When I was just starting out, I recall setting a general budget and planning out your system improvement steps.
     I could probably write a book on this subject but don’t really want to do it right now on this post. So, I think your inclination of progressing from an AVR to separate components is a good first step but I’d like to learn more about how you use your current system (audio only or audio and video?), the types of music you listen to (rock, classical, jazz or other? and at what volume level?)what you like and don’t like about your system, your current room details and what you’d like to improve. If you let me know this, I can better assist you.

Later,
Tim

Tim does not have to write a book. That last post was the perfect summary and best advise anyone could give. Take your time to absorb as much info until the answer comes to you. Someone else giving you the answer is usually their answer. Have fun ... after all, it is shopping.