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Warm Class D for horns?

Hello to all,

Recently  was researching about the evolution of class d amplifiers, for what I understood the most advances around are the Hypex N Core, ICE, Pascal, and appears that also some manufacturers are developing their own Class D amps, like Spec from japan for example and Devialet from France for example..

I understood this right? This is what is happening?

The whole point of make evolving the Class D amplification is to make they sound more warm?

I'm panning to build a 3 way loudspeakers, radial horn, super horn tweeter, and woofer, at first I was considering just use Class D for the 12" woofer, but what about Class D amp for the horns and super tweeter, anyone using?

Let's talk about this, would like to know more how Class D evolved over the years and who are the manufacturers that are on the vanguard fo design of this amplification topology...

Oh.. Class D analog, Class D digital... never found a consensus, if Class D can be analog to..

Thanks!
cosmicjazz

Showing 2 responses by atmasphere

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,117 posts
 
I'm panning to build a 3 way loudspeakers, radial horn, super horn tweeter, and woofer, at first I was considering just use Class D for the 12" woofer, but what about Class D amp for the horns and super tweeter, anyone using?
efficient speakers take full advantage of the linearity and musical truth provided by modern tube amps, especially single ended designs.
Wolf makes a good point here. Horns are usually very tube friendly and since tube power is often more expensive, horns are doubly tube-friendly.

Another thing to consider is that horns often don't behave according to the Voltage rules that govern most loudspeakers. (see http://www.atma-sphere.com/Resources/Paradigms_in_Amplifier_Design.php for more information.) The voltage rules really are about a driver in a box, and controlling resonance where it occurs as a result. A driver playing through a horn doesn't have that same type of impedance curve and thus often works just fine with amplifiers with a fairly high output impedance (often zero feedback) and low power. So heat often isn't an issue since power isn't either.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,117 posts
 
Let's talk about this, would like to know more how Class D evolved over the years and who are the manufacturers that are on the vanguard fo design of this amplification topology...

Oh.. Class D analog, Class D digital... never found a consensus, if Class D can be analog to..
@cosmicjazz  Class D is an analog process. People confuse it with digital because of the D, but class D was first proposed in the vacuum tube era (late 50s IIRC).

The sound of any amp is governed by distortion and all amps make audible distortion. Solid state makes low amounts but its all higher ordered stuff to which the ear is keenly sensitive. That is what causes them to be bright and harsh. Tubes tend to make lower orders to which the ear is far more tolerant- this is why they sound 'warmer'. Class D can be either- a lot depends on the design. I favor circuits that use Pulse Width Modulation and zero feedback- they tend to favor lower ordered harmonics- more like tubes. There are a number of such products on the market right now- Merrill and Technics come to mind. We're working on a class D which is built around those concepts as well.
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