GaN-based Class D power amps

The use of GaN-based power transistor tech is now emerging for Class D audio power amplifiers. Seems appropriate to devote a forum thread to this topic.

Just a clarification... There is no GaN-based technology in the Pascal modules used in Rowland amps.

Regards, Guido

There is no GaN-based technology in the Pascal modules used in Rowland amps.

George, please do not contaminate this perfectly good thread dedicated to GaN technology with your irrelevant paperholic conspiracy theories... I invite you to move post material that have nothing to do with GaN to one of the other class D threads.... Best would be the Future Of Amplification thread. 

Regards, G.

contaminate

Jeff Rowland gear is always very expensive. I guess that is part of his design package.

https://ibb.co/80x8L1C

Matt Hall, a very experienced sound quality competitor and audiophile, has done an amazing test with numerous high end amplifiers from different brands.

There were a total of 18 listeners, all unaffiliated with any audio equipment manufacturer.

We are proud to announce that the GAN made it to TIER 1, which was reserved only for the highest quality amplifiers, the ones that can be really used for Reference Level listening.

This is a direct quote from Matt’s review: "Describing how dimensionally accurate, transparent, and dynamic this lightweight amplifier is with profound adjectives seems disingenuous, but I assure you, I’m no charlatan. This amplifier is legit!"

To read the complete review, please click here: http://issuu.com/diogoianaconi/docs/amplifier_shootout

Soon we will be releasing information on the new GAN amplifiers. We will have a 2-channel and 4-channel version!

With so few parts, what justifies the high cost of some Class D amplifiers, including the JR Continuum S2? I understand R&D, overhead, and profit, but more and more the cost of Audio is getting crazy.

Celander is correct,

* Rowland does not make use of GaN technology in any of its products.

* The Rowland Continuum S2 integrated sports original Pascal M-Pro2 modules. Rowland does not make use of counterfits.

G.

* Rowland does not make use of GaN technology in any of its products.

* The Rowland Continuum S2 integrated sports original Pascal M-Pro2 modules. Rowland does not make use of counterfits.

George, please have the decency, or at least the common sense not to put words in my mouth.

I am not in the habit of insinuating. I make my statements deliberately narrowly scoped. I speak only about what I know, and make no speculations about products and/or companies with which I have little familiarity. I urge you to do the same.

Please give this entire matter a rest... Let's try to stay on topic, folks.

G.

* The Rowland Continuum S2 integrated sports original Pascal M-Pro2 modules. Rowland does not make use of counterfits.

Ralph, is that $15k price tag for the CE mark a flat certification fee, or a fee cost applied to each amp?

plga
If so, has him compared it directly to any premium class A or class D amp?

Please read the review of the Technics system:

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/technics-r1-reference-system/?page=2

What it says is that the Technics amp is not a class D amp......it is a digital amp. IE....it takes only a digital signal and then converts the PCM stream to PWM to drive the switching output stage. The "analog" input on the Technics amp goes through a 24/192 A2D converter to change it to PCM so it can then get converted to PWM.

Of course, the switching output stage is the same as class D but the way it is driven is far different. The Tact amp was the first (I believe) to do this. Of course, its switching output stage does use GaNs, so should be included here. But, not many audiophiles want their precious "analog" signal turned into digital.

So, right now the only analog input class D amps are the Merrill and the AGD. I asked Nuprime on their forum on Audiocircle if they were planning to develop an amp using GaNs........and they said it was in R&D.......and that they thought they were way ahead of most others. They thought it would take 2-3 years before there are any standard off the shelf modules available.

What is really interesting is that Technics claims that using just one GaN per phase is really important.....rather than a bunch of parallel Mosfets like the earlier IcePower, etc. Certainly the dead time can be kept shorter if there is just one switch per phase. Other newer class D amps have just one mosfet per phase also.....like the IceEdge modules. They also have "continuous dead time compensation (CDC)".......maybe these are reasons why it sounds so good?......sort of simulating the "GaN effect"? Of course, using GaNs would reduce the dead time so much you probably would not need to compensate at all and probably have even better performance. I have been talking to IcePower USA.....trying to get them to get into the GaN thang.........looks like inexpensive class D GaN amps are not in the immediate future. Since everything you do changes the sound, we need lots and lots of manufacturers working on this....so we can have lots of variety and hopefully way cheaper prices......right now its a $15,000 entry fee to get into GaNs. To rich more most of us here.

There is that esoteric hard to find 12 volt car amp that uses them.....I am trying to get info on it....seems like it sells for around $1200 but info is scarce (no info on the manufacturers website). I am waiting from the manufacturer for into. I will let you know what I hear.

right now its a $15,000 entry fee to get into GaNs. To rich more most of us here.

There is that esoteric hard to find 12 volt car amp that uses them.....I am trying to get info on it....seems like it sells for around $1200 but info is scarce

What it says is that the Technics amp is not a class D amp......it is a digital amp. IE....it takes only a digital signal and then converts the PCM stream to PWM to drive the switching output stage. The "analog" input on the Technics amp goes through a 24/192 A2D converter to change it to PCM so it can then get converted to PWM.

It is not clear whether the cheaper Technics is a digital amp or a class D amp.  I will use these terms because it is very clear.  A digital amp takes the analog signal and coverts it to PCM though an A2D converter and then converts it to PWM.  A class D amp takes an analog signal and converts it directly to PWM.  The only way I found out the larger Technics amp was a digital amp was to read the very clear review I linked to.  

Many would not want their analog signal (using their multi thousand $ DAC or phono stage) to go through an A2D converter).

George,  please use your sleuthing capabilities and find out for us if the Technics converts analog to digital first or not.    I just sent Technics an email asking them.  I also asked Technics if the SE-R1 is even sold in the US as it is not listed on the US portion of the website.  It is listed as sold in Japan.

I finally got a response from Soundigital and they said they are $800 and have warehouse stock in Florida.  You would have to contact a Soundigital dealer to buy it.  This amp uses 12 volt power and has rca inputs only.  Someone should buy it and mod the heck out of it.  Would be a fun project.....I am not volunteering.  

It is not clear whether the cheaper Technics is a digital amp or a class D amp.

I finally got a response from Soundigital and they said they are $800 and have warehouse stock in Florida.

What it says is that the "output stage" is class D......it does not say how it is driven. Class D and Digital both use the same switching output stage. It is how it is driven that differentiates them (at least, to me). All the info on the SE-R1 says nothing about the 24/192 A2D converter used on the analog inputs. It is only stated in the review I posted. And Technics did not say it was wrong info. So, is there an A2D converter on the analog inputs of the cheaper Technics? We have yet to find out. If it has one....then it is a digital amp.

Hey nothing wrong with converting analog to digital. But, it is one more process and everything you do adds distortion. If it is done to the Nth degree then great. Do you think Panasonic would make the worlds most transparent A2D converter?  If you use normal op amps on the input of your A2D converter then you have loss.  You would want sonically superior discrete circuits, super sounding resistors, caps, state of the art power supplies, dual mono, etc.