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My NAD 3020 D proves your Class D tropes are wrong

I have a desktop integrated, the NAD 3020D which I use with custom near field monitors. It is being fed by Roon via a Squeezebox Touch and coaxial digital.

It is 5 years old and it sounds great. None of the standard myths of bad Class D sound exist here. It may lack the tube like liquid midrange of my Luxman, or the warmth of my prior Parasound but no one in this forum could hear it and go "aha, Class D!!" by itself, except maybe by the absolute lack of noise even when 3’ away from the speakers.

I’m not going to argue that this is the greatest amp ever, or that it is even a standout desktop integrated. All I am saying is that the stories about how bad Class D is compared to linear amps have been outdated for ages.

Great to see new development with GaN based Class D amps, great to see Technics using DSP feed-forward designs to overcome minor limitations in impedance matching and Atmasphere’s work on reducing measurable distortion as well but OMG stop with the "Class D was awful until just now" threads as it ignores about 30 years of steady research and innovation.
erik_squires
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,633 posts
 
Class D feedback works so differently than linear amps that I have trouble believing the amount of feedback behaves the same way, but what do I know?
As far as I know, feedback is fundamental to Class D. It simply can't operate without it.
@erik_squires You are working with a misconception! You can (and some do) operate class D amps without any feedback at all. Up until a year or so ago, that was how all our prototypes worked. Feedback isn't used to construct the output of a class D amp, and you can have output with no feedback. IIRC the Merill class D is a zero feedback design; Technics claims that their amp is zero feedback too.
erik_squires OP
15,875 posts
 
Technics is the curious case of feed-forward design. :) Kind of sort of.
grunge100
17 posts
 
Hey atmasphere,

Are you working on any Class D amps? 

Kindest Regards,
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,633 posts
 
Technics is the curious case of feed-forward design. :) Kind of sort of.
It depends on which part of their website you're paying attention to :)
Are you working on any Class D amps?
Yes. Its one of our own design- we're not using anyone's modules.
dletch2
455 posts
 
It is quite possible there is a flaw in the ICEPower design where optimum operation requires a higher operating temperature. Many SS parts have significant performance change w.r.t. temperature.  I would say run them hard for 20-30 minutes after cold and see what you think, preferably with you out of the room so you are not getting desensitized.
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