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.

+1 Glad someone else did this.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51-G3tQVdfL._SX425_.jpg

Cheers George

Not saying Guido all Rowland's have Chinese Class-D modules in them, I've just found the Continuum 2 amp so far.
I've yet to go looking for other internal shots of Rowland models to see if they are, or are their own modules.

Cheers George     

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

No there isn’t.
Some of Rowland’s that use Pascal modules, started of from Sangway Class-D modules from China.
As can be seen here in the Rowland Contiuum 2, and the same module in these subwoofer plate amps.

Rowland Continuum 2
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/pics/jeff_rowland_continuum_2_large_inside.jpg

Marani plate amp (upside down compared the above Rowland)
http://www.marani-proaudio.com/resizer/resize.php?url=public/PDA800P.png&size=1000x250
And in these also
http://www.marani-proaudio.com/resizer/picscache/800x600/73a9fee129dc4d9ca1c8b7ff5567931c.png
http://www.marani-proaudio.com/dettprodotti-PDA800P/95_60/eng/

Sangway Factory tour China.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZCxCg-QWDQ

Cheers George

contaminate

No, sorry Guido you Audioman mentioned Rowland and Pascal. Not me.
I took it back one stage further where the Class-D modules really come from, Sanway China.
It’s perfectly valid to show what’s going on in this industry, your upset because your very pro Rowland, I understand and I did in the very next post say that the Continuum was the only model, so far, as I’ve not seen inside others, YET

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

That’s an expensive box to say the least.
Exactly the point I was making, those exact same Sanway boards were $100 each on Alibaba in lots of 10, so god knows what Pascal and Rowland were getting them for, and the Continuum was some $10k without extras.

Cheers George

Yep looks like GaN technology has infiltrated into car audio also and beat the competitors, the SoundDigital SD300.2

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!

Cheers George

Red Dragon makes it’s S-500 amp using the same Pascal/Sangway pro2 modules and sells them world wide for just $1k not $10k!!!

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/reddragon/3.html

https://www.reddragonaudio.com/products/s500?variant=969867425

Quote:
"Rowland integrated Continuum S2. Red Dragon’s S500 beats with the same heart in a less high-end chassis"

Cheers George

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

Well sunshine, don’t "insinuate" that the Class-D module in the $10k Continuum 2 is not the same as the one in the $1k Red Dragon, and that it’s counterfeit.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/reddragon/3.html
Quote:
"Rowland integrated Continuum S2. Red Dragon’s S500 beats with the same heart in a less high-end chassis"

Cool it.
I’m making a comparison to what you said, re the $15k price tag for the CE mark and how this can;t be right, because those two use the same modules, just the chassis are different

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

In don't think anyone said they did???

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

Seems your insinuating the $1k Red Dragon amp uses counterfeit Pascal/Sangway modules? 

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

All there is are reviews so far, some making sound quality reference to other topology’s. (see first post) No one here has yet purchased one.

Cheers George

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

This statement is incorrect and misleading, as the GaN equipped Technics SU-G30 is only $3999 rrp even cheaper with a haggle, and it’s a complete Network Integrated Amplifier also does MQA, if your into it.
https://www.technics.com/us/products/grand-class-g30/network-audio-amplifier-su-g30.html

Quote: "The musical reproduction offered by the Technics SU-G30 was among the best sound of any amplifier I have ever reviewed. It is ironic that the better digital gets, the closer it sounds to analog. Tubelike even. This is how I view the audio prowess of the Technics SU-G30 – it is like analog, super clean analog at that. My generalized listening impressions involved excellent purity of tone, a huge soundstage, amazing detail retrieval along with surprising excellence on streaming services."


Some reviews:
https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/amplifier/integrated-amplifiers/technics-su-g30-network-audio-am...

https://www.richersounds.com/technics-stereo-amplifier.html

Cheers George

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

Also incorrect, it’s $750 and here’s some info,

https://somautomotivobrasil.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Manual_Sd300-2-GaN.pdf

https://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/car-audio-classifieds/344218-fs-soundigital-gan-300-2d-amplifie...

https://somautomotivobrasil.com.br/noticia/soundigital-sd300-2d-gan-o-1o-com-tecnologia-gan/

Looks like they were in Wallmart, but sold out.
https://www.walmart.com.br/modulo-soundigital-gan-power-sd300-2d-premium-2x150w-rms-4-ohms/4462483/p...

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

Really??, it's Class-D.
If you need proof under "Design" 3rd paragraph down.
https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/amplifier/integrated-amplifiers/technics-su-g30-network-audio-am...

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

Sounds like a viable re-badging/re-casing project.

I’ve noticed a pattern, that the only ones whinging, or finding invisible problems to turn people off with the GaN technology. Are the ones with "some sort" of vested interest or ownership in the older Class-D topology, that are built around readily available "off the shelf" Class-D modules, be they Hypex, IcePower, Pascal, Tripath, or Sanway ect.
I think we would see a different story with them I think, if a complete GaN based module was available to all, for around the same price range as the older technology above.

Cheers George

What it says is that the "output stage" is class D......it does not say how it is driven.

Strewth!! it’s Class-D using GaN technology and Jeno (Jitter Elimination and Noise-shaping Optimization) just like it’s $20k Technics big brother the SE-R1!! doesn’t mater if it takes a digital input or analog, it’s still a Class-D amp.
https://www.technics.com/us/products/grand-class-g30/network-audio-amplifier-su-g30.html
Good luck with your venture??.

But These GaN amps better my Class AB Rowland amps in the clarity and articulation of upper mids and highs on complex music and the bass is out of this world

I don’t condone dealers giving their "two bobs worth" on what sound better than what, especially if they sell the equipment, but this is a dealer that sells Rowland Research

The little thing that brings life, and I mean life in the way that you sense a human in the room with you. Normally this comes with borderline stridence. Never have I heard a top end so defined and smooth at the same time.

This is what Gan Class-D Technology is all about, getting the upper mids/highs right, that so many have questioned about, with today’s/yesterday’s Class-D technology.

I would be extremely happy with AGD, Merrill is the only other contender with GaN and Id be happy to compare.

You could probably add both GaN based Technics to that also, the SE-R1 and SU-G30

Cheers George

mikepowellaudio
George, isn't the Technics like $30K or something ?

Yes that's for the all out GaN SE-R1 poweramp.
Look at $4k   GaN Su-G30 network integrated amp
https://www.technics.com/us/products/grand-class-g30/network-audio-amplifier-su-g30.html

Forget continuum, it seems to be a sore spot

I'd say that's an understatement at that price for what you get inside.  
I've yet to see other models innards, as there's no pic to see of them, yet.


Cheers George 

mallard1
I was blown away and could not stop to listen these little things. I must say I was used to a Nelson Pass F5 Turbo (pure Class A) and I always were happy with the F5 but the GaNTubes have blown it away. In every aspect, especially the mid-highs they distribute so much... lets say 3D sound. I was just astonished about the difference to my F5. It feels like you can grap
every single instrument or singer in the room. Just fantastic! If someone has the chance to listen to the AGDs I can only recommend to take the time and do so, it will be a great experience.

And welcome to you.
This is a very eye opening review with comparison to a very highly regarded Pass amp.
If this type of review/comparison stays consistent with other reviews to come, looks like my boat anchors may go up for sale before the want/need drops out of the market for them.

PS: Good to see Merrill audio giving us info on his GaN Element range, and why GaN technology Class-D with it’s superior switching speed and dead time is going to finally bring Class-D into the hiend proper, with no question marks on the upper mids or highs.

Cheers George

Because the last thing my Class Ds have is hardness, did I get lucky?

Only with your own hand.

merrillaudio
Having the fastest car does not mean you automatically win the race.
  GaN transistors is not a guarantee of good sound but one of a lot of items that will get you there.

Would you say that it's needed to get you there at the very front, and without it your just an also-ran? (for the time being)

Cheers George

Some more info that come to the net, also i may have mentioned, that TI Texas Instruments (who also own Burr Brown) have now the rights to manufacture GaN semiconductors.

"EPC’s enhancement-mode GaN (eGaN) transistors switch up to ten times faster than silicon MOSFETs, with ‘zero’ stored charge. The increased switching speed of eGaN FETs allows amplifier designers to increase PWM switching frequencies, reduce dead-time, and drastically reduce feedback; producing a sound quality previously limited to large, complex, heavy Class-A amplifier systems.

Demonstrating the superior performance of eGaN technology with their eGaNAMP2016 amplifier, Elegant Audio Solutions of Austin, Texas, has produced an amplifier capable of a continuous power output of 200 Watts into an 8Ω, or 400 Watts into a 4Ω speaker load, with THD+N as low as 0.005% and very low feedback."

https://m.eet.com/images/planetanalog/2016/10/564363/Image-4.jpg

Elegant Audio Solutions’ eGaNAMP2016 Class D amplifier with audiophile level audio performance.

Moreover, this is done without the need for a heat sink and eGaN-based amplifier can plug directly into the standard amplifier implementation of many existing systems.

In addition, the higher output filter frequency makes output filter design less expensive and the higher switching frequency makes EMI/EMC compliance much easier to accomplish.

As noted, since the switching edges of the eGaN FET are cleaner, and introduce less ringing With a good layout, overshoot and ringing can be virtually eliminated [3]. With the reduction in both the output filter costs and the virtual elimination of heat sink costs, the eGaN FET-based high-definition audio system will not only sound much better, but will be much smaller, and have a lower system-level cost than the classic MOSFET-based systems.

Cheers George

celander OP767 posts
@tweak1, Early adopters pay the heavy price.

Just like with all new topologies, the old become door stops, and unsalable, when the new topology takes off.
Just like CD's early days with brickwall filters, like Sony's 16bit 101's and 701's have a listen to those, they are listenable, I got rid of mine as soon as I heard Marantz's 14bit without brick wall filter.

tweak1
I contacted Paul McGowan (PS Audio) about his Sellar dac/pre, and also asked whether they are playing with GaN.
 "The Stellar S300 is a dual mono design,  based on a modern Class D ICE module, designed in Denmark."

The Stellar S300/700 used Ice modules.

EG: If all three below had the same RRP

PS would wait for maybe a Chinese Class-D manufacturer to start making the complete Class-D boards using the GaN technology. (high profit low manufacturing cost)

For PS to design and make their own Class-D boards based around the GaN transistor would be a major undertaking for a company like them to do. (medium profit high manufacturing cost)

AGD is another story, being a "boutique manufacturer" maybe a one man show, can afford to go the hands on hand made route. (low profit very high manufacturing cost, but very low overheads)

The middle one's the disaster if things go wrong.

Cheers George      
 

Some more info that come to the net, also i may have mentioned, that TI Texas Instruments (who also own Burr Brown) have now the rights to manufacture GaN semiconductors.

Looks like now  Analog Devices getting into the manufacture of the GaN technology.
  https://www.analog.com/en/applications/technology/gan.html

Cheers George

As more class D audio amp manufacturers enter this market space, competition will drive down prices.

The only way this can happen, is if the major semi conductor manufacturers get the licence to make the GaN devices, this is what happened to Mosfets years ago, at first they were very expensive then prices came down when more were being made by different manufacturers.

RF GaN business is totally different and requires different type of transistor design than the one needed in power management.

I know this, but it’s the GaN technology that’s being used, and they will hopefully start manufacturing audio output GaN transistor as well.

And your in the box seat for now AG with your $15k amp, as a low volume manufacturer is in the prime seat at the moment if GaN transistor don’t go big time quantity manufacturing. Because if companies like Sangway can get hold of them for a dollar each bought in the in the thousands, then they make complete $100 modules with it, well you know what happens!

Cheers George

though not relevant for HEA applications.

Think your wrong there, we need to look beyond the forest to see the trees.
The whole advancement of "affordable" hi-end GaN based technology Class-D amps making an impact, hinges on who will start making the "component level" GaN semiconductors.
So yes Analog devices and Texas Instruments making them is relevant to this thread, as if no BIG semiconductor manufacturers pick it up, you won’t have affordable GaN based Class-D amp to purchase, they’ll all be $10K+

Cheers George

AG most of us here hope to see a 200w GaN for close to $1 or $2k which is doable one day.

Have a look at Red Dragon S500-$1k v Continuum 2-$10k both of which use very similar electronics.

Your are selling yours for $15K, you can’t tell me if a big company like Sangway decided to put them in a plain metal box, like the Red Dragon, made thousands of them they couldn’t be sold for around $1K.

It’s already down to $4k with the GaN Technics SU-G30 network integrated amp, and that’s a lot extras in that one with preamp.

Cheers George

Here is the PDF to the eGaNAMP2016 GaN amp.

Steve Colino said if one wants even better sound from it, you can add a heatsink to those GaN fets and take the switching frequency up to 1.536mhz and then adjust the output filter much higher.

https://epc-co.com/epc/Portals/0/epc/documents/thirdparty/eGaNAMP2016_Consumer-123115.pdf

If you want to make your own, a complete stereo eval board is available 
https://epc-co.com/epc/Portals/0/epc/documents/thirdparty/EAS_eGaN_2.0-Channel_EvalKit-010116.pdf


Cheers George

This is ridiculous, just put up a post here to correct what you need to do, this thread is already entrenched, all your going to achieve is a mess! (delete the new thread) your making my head spin
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/11/a5/e8/11a5e81b7fd36e47ac16dee0ecf0e1f8.png

Cheers George

I’ll just stay here, all info links ect ect ect are here already. I don’t think anyone will want to post everything they said here, again over there.

Cheers George

Here is a EPC GaN chart showing all the different GaN fets, the ones in the 200w eGaNAMP2016 GaN Evaluation amp EPC2016C, judging by this chart are capable of capable 36A each with a rail of 100v.
Then I hope this is right, think you’ve got the EPC2033 which has higher 150v but it can do a whopping 48A each!!!! And the EPC2022 and EPC2021 at 90A????
https://epc-co.com/epc/Portals/0/epc/documents/briefs/ab003%20egan%20fets%20for%20class-d%20audio.pd...

Cheers George

I’ve been telling you about reducing or eliminating dead time

I’ve never denied it, and have said it’s also a bonus with the GaN technology, and as I’ve always harped on about is the switching frequency giving better sound if used at 1.5536mHz so then output filter is not in contention as stated by Steve Colino of EPC designers of the GaN technology, and finally we’ll get to see bench test square waves that look like square waves like linear amps can do, and not like timber mill buzz saws .

But it can also be done without heatsink if the switching frequency is used at 400khz as stated in the other pages of the the pdf I posted.
Quote: " 200W per Channel into 8 ohms • 400W per Channel into 4 ohms. 96% Efficiency Reduces Heat and System Size • No Heat Sink Required"

Affordable Amp manufacturers will not "use" the raw GaN fet component, only the more esoteric $$$$$ ones may design their own modules, if they’re suicidal.
Most will wait till new OEM manufacturers like IcePower, PowerSoft, Hypex, Sangway, Tripath ect ect make them up using the GaN technology, so then it’s easier/cheaper just to put the complete module in a box with a power supply.

celander who's slamming who!! please read and absorb? (remember forest and trees)

Cheers George 

You can do that, or just get a hifi shop to demo the Technics SU-G30 for you, being only 50W on yours or some low wattage efficient speakers.
 I'll wait till I can pickup a pair of GaN monoblocks complete with Chinese Sangway type boards in them for around $2K or less for the pair.
By then all the their techs will have worked out any bugs with them. 

Cheer George 

Yes- I don’t see anyone being slammed in the last 4 posts.

I think celandar’s maybe a latent cop



Let’s have a clam bake and all slam each other

https://nostalgiacentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/magiccircleclub2.jpg

really! celander, you call that slamming??? remember forest and trees sunshine.

If anyone takes the thread off the "GaN path" it’s you

Last 7 posts all non GaN related, which are directly referenced because of your "non GaN" related comment in the 1st one.

Cheers George

$1,400 Digikey EPC evaluation board, keep in mind what you are paying for:
PCB’s stuffed with mostly non-premium parts

Really!!!!!

I see nothing but premium parts! And I wouldn't expect anything else from a companies eval board.

https://www.scribd.com/document/398286093/EPC9106BOM-1

https://www.digikey.com.au/product-detail/en/epc/EPC9106/917-1090-ND/5036827?cur=USD&lang=en

Enjoy the board then. I’ve got higher standards.

Please list all the item no.’s in the BOM list I posted that you or someone else would improve on, and with what and why?
https://www.scribd.com/document/398286093/EPC9106BOM-1


Cheers George

Not when you knowingly prop it up in-between the speakers like the "great glitz audio god" and ruin any great stereo image and depth you may have had, then your "what you said"

Cheers George

You must absolutely hate fine art.

I buy audio equipment first and foremost for it’s sound, second comes price, last is looks.
I’m not one of these that sets up his "glitzy chassis" multi $k equipment in between the speakers on just as "glitzy" racks, so I can gaze at it in wonderment and say to myself wow how good it looks instead of listening to the music. And at the same time all that "glitzy" equipment your gazing at is ruining the stereo image and depth.

Cheers George

We are testing different input impedance values for the best result in all situations. .Once the final number is settled on I’ll let you know..

Testing??? there's nothing to test, once you have a "Output to Input" impedance ratio of 1:10 or more, your fine.
  
We had a large participant demo at our audio society meeting, about 35-40 "golden ear'ed" audiophiles were present. I designed a switchable on the fly input impedance changer on a very good amp that was in a very good system.
  
This impedance changer change the "O/I" impedance ratio in 20 increments of  from 1:100 down to 1:5. It was at 1:5  that only two "super golden ear'ed" audiophiles "thought" they could hear a difference for the worse, but they also both said they probably couldn't pick it in a blind A/B.
All said they heard a difference at 1:3.
AC levels were checked to the mV for all ratios to be the same.

Cheers George        

tweak1
George, wasn’t it you who told me when I had the Hattor XLR passive pre George, wasn’t it you who told me when I had the Hattor XLR passive pre that it was a impedance mismatch with both my Emerald Physics, then later with my Audio Alchemy DPA-1?

With one there was a mismatch and you weren’t getting the best from it, with the other it was fine. And I suggested a buffer stage with the Hattor for the Emerald Phyics


Yes and here is what’s said

georgehifi4,817 posts06-27-2018 9:26am

tweak1 OP
My EP KC IIs sound fantastic

Actually hate to say, your Emerald Phyics EP-100.2SE Class-D amps are not a great match for a passive pre, as their input impedance is "not typical" as they are very low at 19kohm, your passive preamp while working fine would sound even better if it had a unity gain buffer on it’s output.
For a 10kohm passive to work it’s magic the input impedance of an amp/s should be 33kohm or higher.

And this to the other amp.

georgehifi4,817 posts06-28-2018 7:40am

tweak1 OP
I have been keen on getting a Nord Two Stereo amp, but need to sell at least one SE first

This will be great with your Hattor Passive Pre and much better.
As the Nord is double the input impedance of the Emerald Phyics no need for a buffer then. I always say the best buffer is no buffer if possible.

Enough on this impedance subject or celander will get his nickers in a knot, especially Michael Powell for bringing it up..

Cheers George

Here is a little more tech talk info on Class-D amps using the GaN Fets.

Performance of a Class A Amplifier and More

Class A has been the serious audiophile’s gold standard for decades. Today however, we are at the early stages of a seismic shift towards widespread Class D audiophile adoption. Why? Because a new type of Class D audio is quickly approaching the performance of Class A, with benefits not enjoyed by the reigning incumbent.

While the benefits of Class D abound, historically, these systems had largely been relegated to lower-power or lower-quality audio systems for general use. The technical reason is simple: to meet the required distortion performance targets (THD+N, TIM and IM), Class D amplifiers have had to resort to using large amounts of feedback to compensate for their poor open-loop performance. By definition, large amounts of feedback introduce transient intermodulation distortion (TIM), which introduces a ‘harshness’ that hides the rich subtleties and color of the music that were intended for the listening experience.

What you may not know is that the root cause for much of this distortion is a power switching device in use by almost every digital system today: the silicon MOSFET (think power transistor). While producing a more efficient amplifier, the use of silicon has been plagued by audio distortion due to imperfect switching, high on-state resistance, and very high stored charge.

But what if there were a Class D transistor technology with switching so precise that it could generate a near perfect power representation of the small audio signal produced by the PWM Modulator, thus reducing (or fully eliminating) the need for these large amounts of feedback? What if the technology were so disruptive that the bandwidth of the output filter could be doubled for High-Definition Audio without fear of increased EMI/EMC problems? And, what if the switching technology of a Class D audio amplifier could boast an “On” resistance with switching losses that were so low that power dissipation became negligible, thereby enabling the world to enjoy the benefits of Class D, at or above the quality of Class A?

• In fact, that transistor technology is available today and is increasingly being used by manufacturers to create near perfect sound quality for Class D audio systems. The greater switching speed of Efficient Power Conversion’s (EPC’s) eGaN® FETs allow amplifier designers to increase PWM switching frequencies, reduce dead-time, and drastically reduce feedback; in turn, producing a sound quality previously limited to large, complex, heavy Class A amplifier systems. Further, this innovative high-speed switching technology has already disrupted myriad other industries, including telecommunications, medical, and automotive to name a few.
  

This transistor technology is called Gallium Nitride (GaN) and is poised to uproot the high-end audio world. In fact, GaN-based Class D is much more power-efficient than traditional, MOSFET-based Class D and offers orders of magnitude better performance. Performance that to many listeners, even surpasses the quality of Class A. At any given product price point, these new Class D solutions can meet, or surpass the quality of today’s linear amplifier solutions. As an example, the eGaN FET-based Class D amplifiers can easily achieve a mid-band THD performance of 0.005%, where a comparable linear amplifier Class would achieve around 0.05%.

If you think about it, this recent improvement in digital amp technology was inevitable. The whole world is going digital (vinyl lovers among us notwithstanding). The opportunity to remain in a digital world, from the audio source all the way to the speakers, maintains clarity that is impossible to achieve when going from a digital recording to an analog amplification system, suffering the degradation of sometimes multiple transitions between the analog and digital audio domains. For a quality Class D audio solution, it is possible to avoid these transitions all the way through the system to the final Output Filter, which is designed for best possible audio reproduction.

Significantly, audio manufacturers are taking notice and incorporating GaN-based Class D FETs in their systems. This is why, in another two or three years you will start seeing a slew of new Class D amps – ones based on GaN – rolling out to the market; and, for such varied uses as home theatre, car, boat, portable wireless speakers, along with high-fidelity home systems.

A high-definition eGaN FET-based system with higher PWM switching frequency, reduced feedback, and higher bandwidth produces the sound that has the warmth and sonic quality that audiophiles demand; while actually improving upon the power efficiency of traditional Class D. Class A audio’s historic lesser child Class D is coming of age with eGaN technology. And in the next decade, these systems will replace Class A technology, as well as the silicon MOSFET Class D systems in active use today.

Cheers George

Measurements mean very little.

I’m sick of ill the informed, saying this, all amp designs, are measured, bench tested and listened to, in that order.

ANY!! amp worth it’s salt is designed using all the EE laws of electronics, and then measured/bench tested and listened to.
If necessary then to change the sound, using EE laws again, modded, re-measured, re-bench tested and to make sure all is fine, then listen to again.

Anyone selling you an amp and saying it wasn’t designed and produced using these, I would walk (no run) away from, as he/she will be a voodooist and or snake oil’er.

worldwidewholesales
  We are still testing several different Class D amplifiers

Hi, you keep using this word "testing"??, yet I've never seen any measurement "test" results.
Or are you just listening?
If you are doing measuring "testing" can you let us know what measuring equipment you use?,  as there is no mention of it anywhere on your site and if you do, do you have a link to the test result graphs?.

Cheers George

Here is a an email back to me from the US company "ClassDAudio" regarding the use of the new GaN Fet technology in any of their completed amps or very well priced Class-D kits they make, that use linear power supplies!!
https://classdaudio.com/amplifier-kits.html

"Hi George,

These will not be available in kits. These amps are complex and expensive to manufacture. We’re hoping to have complete amps ready maybe in about a month. We’re still finishing case design. Tom"

Cheers George

ricevs

George,

If voodoo means listening to things and using the best sounding things then certainly I am a super voodoo lover.

No, I called voodoo for saying "Measurements mean very little." they are very important if you can interpret them.
If you are good enough to interpret measurements, as designers and bench testers are and "audiophiles" that bother to learn, then one can correlate the the way a product measures to the way it behaves when listening.

EG: An efficient 98db 6-8ohm speaker. But with 3ohm impedance dip, and a -60 phase angle at 100-200hz, everywhere else it’s pretty flat at 6 to 8 ohms, that’s why the manufacturer calls them a 6ohm speaker.
Any tube amp will sound thin and lifeless because it can’t drive those speakers properly between 100-200hz. (a 3ohm load with -60 phase angle will have an EPDR that looks to the amp like it’s driving 1-2 ohms!!!) And if you don’t know what EPDR means then I suggest you look it up, there’s a few pages "technical" explanation in Stereophile.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/heavy-load-how-loudspeakers-torture-amplifiers-page-2

All you have to do is read Stereophiles reviews that the reviewer had a question mark on a part of the sound, and 9 x out of 10 JA will have a part of the bench test measurement that correlates to what the reviewer heard.

And if "audiophiles" bother to learn learn those measurements, then you won’t have thread questions like "I bought these speakers what amp will sound the best with them" and you’ll get many pages of answers that have no chance of being correct just personal favoutrites, and this thread starter gets on the amp merry go round trying to find the best amp.
But there’s one or two that will give the right answer and the reason and links to the measurements to show why it’s right, and they cross their fingers and hope that the thread starter has bothered to take it on board and at least tried to understand what he said.

I am not against measurements.

First you say "Measurements mean very little"

But obsessing about measurements?

No ones obsessing as you say, it's fact they are important for good synergy between components. 

I don't listen to a distortion meter!

And now your just being ridiculous, because you have nothing to say

There is probably someone right now damping their heatsinks and getting better sound.

 That one smacks of snake oil. And you say  "Measurements mean very little"  really!!!! 

Nah, this will be more Hypex stuff not GaN.

Cheers George

Bruno Putzeys has left Hypex

That's huge news, he was Hypex!!!
Sell while now for best dollar, because of new coming technology.??

I wonder, if Putzey will do something new using GaN now.


Cheers George