What Class D amps will drive a 2 ohm load

A learning point for me from this thread is that it appears there are no standardized measurements for current and damping factor.

@dsper This statement is tricky. But you are on to something - they can be misleading. 'Current' is the one that is bandied about the most and it can quite often be meaningless. Take a look at this link (which is an easy read) for why:http://www.atma-sphere.com/Resources/Common_Amplifier_Myths.php
Now damping factor is the output impedance vs 8 ohms and is expressed as a ratio (IOW its standardized). What is less understood is that speakers require a certain amount of damping and that varies by design, even if the same drivers are used in a different box. Some speakers (certain open baffles for example) seem to work better if the damping factor is extremely low- 1/10th :1; and some speakers need as high as 20:1. No speaker needs more damping than that; higher damping factors are often deleterious to neutrality.


Amplifier designers thus have a challenge- from their perspective a lower output impedance is good to insure that the amplifier has the proper 'voltage source' response which is to say that it can maintain a constant voltage output regardless of load. And speaker designers are **usually** expecting this too- but they are working with drivers that quite simply don't work right if they are overdamped!


So its no surprise that confusion exists- because you can easily hear when the speaker is overdamped ('tight bass' being a symptom; while many audiophiles like this, it is in fact a coloration). It makes the right amp/speaker combination a lot harder than you would think and a lot harder than it supposed to be!

That is one reason why I like the Stereophile test measurements as they can help you to understand about a specific amp.

👍 yep, don’t listen to some of the manufacturers voodoo BS, they’re in sales mode and you know about car/real estate salesmen, you could almost group these guys in the same category

Won't be able to find out if the SX-1000's would power my speakers.
The deal fell through.

Was really looking forward to see if it would have been able to drive my Kappa 9 speakers

Oh well, I'll carry on...

joysjane

Won't be able to find out if the SX-1000's would power my speakers.
The deal fell through.

I say lucky you, that was to me was more divine intervention.

Cheers George 

Hello dsper,

     I haven’t been able to follow this thread as closely as I wanted, but has anybody suggested the Merrill Audio Veritas class D monos that use the Hypex NCore1200 power modules and 1200 SMPS? Here’s a review that states they don’t quite double power in power for each halving of impedance down to 2 ohms (400w @ 8 ohms, 700w @ 4 ohms, 1,200w @ 2 ohms) but they sound great and are stable down to 1 ohm):


http://www.stereomojo.com/Merrill%20Vertitas%20Monoblock%20Amplifier%20Review/MerrillVertitasMonoblo...

     The Veritas sold new for $12,000/pair. With Merrill recently introducing a new line of Element series amps using the new and very fast switching GaN transistors, I’ve noticed numerous used pairs of Veritas monos for sale with an average asking price of about $5,000. I’m assuming many of these owners may be selling in order to purchase a pair of the new Element 116, Element 118 mono block amps or an Element 114 stereo amp.
     I believe a pair of the Veritas would be an excellent choice to drive your Thiel CS5s. My thinking is that any seller of a pair of amps they formerly invested $12,000/pair for would have cared for them very well and it shouldn’t be hard to find a pair in excellent condition.
     The best new options are probably the new Merrill Audio Element series amps using the new and very fast switching GaN transistors; the stereo Element 114 amp for $15,000 or one of their monoblock amps, the Element 116 amps for $22,000 or Element 118 amps for $36,000.  Here's a review of the Eklement 116 monoblocks with comparisons to the prior model Veritas:

www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0619/Merrill_Audio_Element_116_Veritas_Review.htm

Best wishes,
Tim