Are future improvements in Amp/PreAmps slowing to a crawl?

Anyone who thinks the best Class D is the lesser technology or always inferior sounding when compared to Class A is just not paying attention.

"Will it sound like what you like?",

That is a completely different discussion to have. If anyone can make a _better_ amplifier than the best linear and Class D for normal speakers I cannot hear it.

However, lots of ways of making amplifiers sound different, juicier and more colorful.

As someone once told John Coltrane (I believe): "You can't make it better, only different."


Peace,

E

Speaking of Pass, it is important to note that the model for a high quality SS amplifier was first really codified in the late 1970's by the work of the late Dr. Marshall Leach Jr. Using bipolar transistors Dr. Leach's proposal set the blueprint for every SS design going forward for decades.

Almost 40 years after this paper, I would love to have a panel discussion with Pass, Curl, Carver about how far we have come from then, what Leach got right, what he got wrong, or what they think Dr. Leach would have done better with the parts we have today.

Best,


E

Want to give a shout out to Carver, the concept for his magnetic field amplifier continues to be used by Yamaha, NuForce and possibly even NAD (D 3020).

Carver's design used a linear amplifier of relatively small power handling and hooked it up to a power supply of varying rail voltages. This minimized the power dissipation required in the output stage. Carver sued (and won) against Yamaha, but the Yamaha Pro line is using the EEEngine which seems derived. NuForce is using the idea in their hybrid amps, Class-D providing the voltage rails, with a linear amp sandwich, and maybe... the NAD D 3020.

Still, how old is this tech? We can definitely argue against calling it all that revolutionary.

Is any of it better sounding? Not sure, but Yamaha and Nuforce are free to send me samples.... :)

Best,


E

I once had a Carver TFM-45 become unstable and dump DC to a brand new pair of Apogee Stages I had just bought. Big brilliant blue-white arcs shot from the ribbon tweeters two minutes after power up. A revolutionary product to be sure.

Dave

Regardless of the topology one chooses, the basic problem of building an amp that measures well and sounds good has been solved. Class D isn't going to bring about entirely new levels of fidelity. We already have amps that will drive any load with vanishing levels of noise and distortion. And a lot of people don't much like them. I think Nelson's point is that the challenge of building a well performing amp has been mastered and pretty much everything you see today is just someone's opinion of how to best implement a hand full of basic topologies in a manner that suits someone's tastes. In that, amp design is art. That doesn't take away from the technical challenge.