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The Truth about Modern Class D

All my amps right now are Class D. ICEpower in the living room, and NAD D 3020 in the bedroom.

I’ve had several audiophiles come to my home and not one has ever said "Oh, that sounds like Class D."

Having said this, if I could afford them AND had the room, I’d be tempted to switch for a pair of Ayre monoblocks or Conrad Johnson Premiere 12s and very little else.

I’m not religious about Class D. They sound great for me, low power, easy to hide, but if a lot of cash and the need to upgrade ever hits me, I could be persuaded.

The point: Good modern Class D amps just sound like really good amplifiers, with the usual speaker/source matching issues.

You don’t have to go that route, but it’s time we shrugged off the myths and descriptions of Class D that come right out of the 1980’s.
erik_squires
michaelgreenaudio's avatar
michaelgreenaudio
643 posts
 

It's fun isn't it, watching the hobby change?

It makes me wonder how long it will take for the modern world to be accepted by HEA. And, will this mean more folks will be entering HEA only from a different point of reference. The days of expensive HEA are numbered as we are seeing, but more exciting, the replacement has been getting refined for some time now.

Look for speakers to change too.

Michael Green

http://www.michaelgreenaudio.net/

inna
5,245 posts
 
I'll take Ralph's tube amps any day, not those 3D printed things.
'It's tubes stupid'.
Or as Vladimir of Lamm said in an interview - You can get killer bass out of transistors but that's not how it sounds in reality. He himself makes hybrid power amps, though, in addition to tube amps. Oops..

brauser
421 posts
 
Bought the Rowland 501 monos when they first came out and have had absolutely no regrets. Class D is just a technology which can be used or misused. Really unfair to relegate it to some inferior status or to make generalizations. Tubes versus solid state is another example of either one sounding superior to the other being subject to the quality of design and the price range. Like they say 'it all just depends'.
helomech
766 posts
 
Straight from the horse's mouth:

S&V: Generally speaking, what are the key benefits of Class D versus the traditional Class AB and Class A designs that have long been favored by audiophiles?
BP: Efficiency and therefore the ability to construct amps that are powerful for their size. Only that. Modern Class D amps, in particular mine—ahem—sound good not because they’re Class D, but in spite of it.
Read more at https://www.soundandvision.com/content/bruno-putzeys-head-class-d#61cL4a1ATw0DkUL2.99

m-db's avatar
m-db
313 posts
 
Opinions vary.

I power my studios Avalon Acoustic Monitors with Hypex nCore 400s and my listening rooms Avalon Acoustics Eidolons with Bob Carver Tubes.

When using the switching amps to drive the Eidolons the subtle difference in presentation becomes obvious to us. We find we listen for much longer periods of time with the tubes. Relaxing is the word that best describs the difference.

The switching amps slightly more forward and plate glass transparency that many may describe as brightness has become religiously indispensable in the acoustically treated studio.

Pitting Class D against linear solid state or tube amplifiers is silly. They're simply another class of amplifier to choose from, that's a truth. I'm not going to drive my subwoofers with tubes nor am I going to use the studio for my listening room.   
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