Will new Class D trump a vintage Class A/AB?


After 6 years on a shelf, I finally got a 1986 VSP Labs TransMOS 150 power amp fixed. Back in its heydey, the Gold Edition of this amp was one of J. Gordon Holt's favorite amps for neturality and musicality. It's fairly heavily biased into Class A, as the VSPs run on the warm side. They weigh a ton--50-60 lbs depending on whether you have the 150wpc or 200wpc version. They are stable all the way down to 0 ohms, have a really high damping factor, and have deep, extended, tightly controlled bass. It's one of the first MOSFET transconductance amps--it's a solid state implementation of tube amp topology. I remember it being fairly fast, but especially liquid.

Now, I haven't heard a VSP in years (even though I have 4 of 'em--most needed recaps or something).

Anyway, in a fit of impulse-buying, I ordered an Onkyo A-9555 class D integrated amp, which has been enthusiastically reviewed and recommended by both Absolute Sound and Stereophile.

So whaddaya all think? Has amplifier development come far enough in the past 22 years that a high quality MIJ class D integrated could give a handmade boutique old school AB amp from the '80s a run for the money? I know I'll find out in a couple of weeks, but which way do you think it'll go?
johnnyb53

Showing 5 responses by mapman

Jiohnnyb53,

Whats the rest of your system that the Onkyo will be synergizing with?
Maybe. Class D is certainly a high value option if buying new today and you have speakers with a demanding load that like to suck power and current.

Let us know what you find.
I think the result will come down to taste and preference more than anything else.

Isn't the thing still humming though?

The Onkyo Class D was a very savvy choice for trying to improve at reasonable cost though. In that the Mirages are larger floor standers and rated 6 ohm I believe ( a somewhat more difficult than average load to drive I would suspect), I think there is a very good chance the Onkyo will work out. The main difference I would predict would be in the low end in terms of perhaps providing a fuller and tight bottom end that adds meat to the sound and helps balance things out.

LEt us know.

Cheers!
Interesting. I had high hopes for the Onkyo. Glad to hear it panned out. Thanks for sharing.