??? WHY WHY WHY ??? Class A vs Everything Else


 After 8 long months at the Authorized U.S.Service Center,my beautiful Sugden Bijou Class A amplifier & PreAmp came home 2 days ago..BOTH units have been completely,& I mean COMPLETELY rebuilt,from input stages to output stages,pretty much  everything was replaced with new components,checked,cleaned,rebiased & cooked in...
 For the last 8 months I've alternated between a Class A/B SimAudio Moon 240i & a Class D,Creek 4040A..I really like the Class D Creek and it will accompany me on an upcoming 3 year job in the Philippines starting this coming November..I was all set to put the Sugden gear up for sale as soon as it came in & I confirmed operation..I NEVER should have set it up!!!
 Using the Moon 240i as a preamp since I don't have a stand alone source to feed the Sugden HeadMaster,I set up the MusicMaster amp & let it warm up for 15 minutes...
 From the VERY FIRST NOTES,I was enchanted.mesmerized,enthralled,seduced & completely gobsmacked...
 There was something soooo right about the sound..There isn't one area I could point to,it simply sounds.right..Everything seems to have been lit from inside..The best analogy I can provide is this..The sound is like the colors of nature,as the rising sun just clears the horizon & suddenly everything snaps into vivid focus,taking your breath away...
 I spent the better part of today swapping in & out between all 3 amplifiers on hand just to make sure I wasn't simply locked into subconscious justification for spending the $ to have the Sugden gear rebuilt..I wasn't!
 I hate having gear sitting in a box unused but I'm not sure I have any choice in this situation..When I come home on breaks during this upcoming project & when it is finally finished & I come back to the States for good I'll have it to enjoy..Not to mention it will cost a small fortune by then to replace the level of performance of this gear offers with whatever happens to be the flavor of that time...
 WTH can't everything just sound this superb.......
 

freediver

Showing 2 responses by freediver

@zlone I thought you could,that's why I got the SimAudio 240i,but swapping between that & the Sugden the last few days says no you can't..I don't know if that first 10 watts gets used up too quickly or it's something else but it just doesn't have that same lit from within texture at all volume levels the Sugden has...

@bishop148 While I realize this is what all the engineering tells us regarding Class A/B, & NO ONE wants that to be true more than myself,BUT I have spent the last 3 days,almost 50 hours so far,swapping back & forth between the Class A/B SimAudio,which is not some fly by night amp but a highly regarded & favorably reviewed all over the world  amp,the Class D Creek & the Sugden gear..
 1 hour each amp,same exact music over & over & over,level matched with a Soundmeter app,full circle every 3 hours & it’s just NOT the same..From whisper quiet levels at 55db.to rocking 90 db.levels not even the SimAudio has,whatever it is,that the Sugden has..
 I’m not trying to convert anyone here,I’m not trying to convince anyone I’m right & their wrong..I’m just telling everyone what I hear & all I can say is,either keep what you have,NEVER compare it to anything pure Class A & enjoy the music..OR spend some time comparing 100% Class A against your favorite flavor amp & prepare accept the fact that there simply isn’t anything that sounds like Single Ended 100% Class A....
 As the saying goes,ignorance is bliss & like I said in my OP,I wish I hadn’t hooked up the Sugden gear because I was ignorant & blissful!
PS:I would add 1 other thing..The last 3 days has REALLY enamoured me to the Class D Creek 4040a..It is worlds away from the Ice powered amps I heard a few years ago that where bass heavy,glassy & a little hard at times..Mike Creek must be an absolute genius because this amp is a GIANT killer in every sense...