Subjectivity is a wonderful thing. There are traits within both solid state and tube preamps that may never quite match such as harmonic structure. The preference for one or the other is a mater of personal taste.
Consider that, with all the shortcomings of tubes, a great deal of time is spent on designing components to sound like tubes. The day may come but until then if you like the sound of tubes there really is no substitute. |
Its more than that Mapman..as Dennis Deacon explained it..
there are inherent proplems wirh pulse modulation type Class D amps regarding linearity and feed back in the upper bands that compromise music quality which is why alternative modulating designs have popped up in recent years resulting in Class D getting closer than ever to pure
Class A performance. Give it another two years. After all,
Solid state in terms of Pre-Amps has finally surpassed tube performance such as the Robert Koda Takumi K-10 Preamp
which will bury any tube Preamp on planet earth. Within the next three years, Class D solid state amps will surpass
tube amps as well. |
Well, i suppose everyone will say their product is better than the
competition. Whether in fact better or just different, a nice product on
paper. |
Just got a reply back from Dennis Deacon with D-Sonic..sent
him a letter this morning to confirm he is using the Abletec amps. His answer.." I do not discuss the topologies
used in my amplifiers"...He wouldn't confirm or deny..
The only other company I know of that is using their own
in house Class-D topology is Henry Ho with H2o Audio. Abletec does provide bulk manufacturing for DIY or High End
Companies..so more than likely the Audiophile in a thread I
read last night who stated that Dennis confirmed to him in
late 2011 that he switched to Abletec from B&O is more than likely accurate... |
Mapman..the scoop on Abletec..Design Engineer Patrik Bostrom, CTO of Abletec A/S, designed a new technology for
Class D which is a loop linearization technology called AMS,(Adaptive Modulation Servo) which is superior to PWM,
(Pulse Width Modulation)which has been the standard in Class D for years. |
Correct spelling is Abletec..comapared to Hypex in DIY forums and threads in Europe..check out the Abletec website. Needs to be updated. |
Ok, I see now the name is abletec not albetec. That seems to show more. Abletec |
"They are often compared to Hypex."
Compared where?
A Google search on Albetec amplifiers turns up nothing I can see. Would like to read more. |
Also..Marten Audio of Sweden uses Albetec Class D amps in their mono blocks. Their amps for class D weigh over 100 pounds each due to their very large power supplies and transformers. |
After digging around..it appears that D-Sonic is using the
Albetec Class-D amps from Scandinavia, which are manufactured in China. They are often compared to Hypex. |
Mapman..I mentioned to you several days ago all the info is
available..again..go to the D-Sonic website ans click the
Products tab at the top of the page..then click on the 6Moons picture on the left and it opens up the complete review of the D-Sonic M2-1500M amp from September..it also
interviews Dennis Deacon who explains in full the new
SOA Core amp he uses. It is manufactured from an outside source he will not reveal. |
WHATS ON THE HORIZON FOR CLASS D IN 2013...put your seatbelts on...
The new New Clear NC1000L amps from Sean Brady in Phoenix
have come out in recent months using the same amp as the Bel Canto REF1000M's, but New Clear has under the hood two
Lundahl transformers from Sweden and other mods. Just got reviewed in Tone Magazine. Got an email last week from Jeff
Dorgay telling me its the best Class D amp he has ever heard and reviewed. Just got the Tone Award for best new amp of the year. From Bel Canto...this is the sizzler..John
Stronczer has had in the works for two years a new ICE amp
hybrid..Its using the same B&O amp he has in his REF1000M
amp but with this major difference which is a break through. An original D.C. high power supply that feeds the ICE amp directly. No pulse width modulation. The switching module has been removed. First of its kind. An Ice amp with
no switching device. Will be released in late Spring. The new Mola-Mola M1's coming out in June from Hypex, The rise
of New Clear from Arizona, The new SOA core amp from
D-Sonic, and the new Bel Canto hybrid, will make 2013 the best year ever for Class D. Exciting stuff! |
Who designed and makes teh SOA Core amp? I get the impression D-sonic uses it but acquires it externally, like Icepower before.
Google search turns up no info outside D-sonic, 6 moons and this thread on SOA Class D Core amps. |
Mapman..Yes..the D-Sonic amp is a newer technology..the SOA
Core amp which is a proprietary design from the bottom up. Nothing to do with B&O. Not an ICE Amp. Dennis explains it all in detail in last September's issue of 6Moons. It is Class D, but a new design. D-Sonic is the first to use these amps. |
I'm getting confused.
Are the new D-Sonics using a proprietary design from bottom up or using some other base Class D amp now other than Icepower? |
> I've also owned or auditioned SET 45 and 300B,
> and 421A, based amplifiers, some by very well
> known names from both the US and Japan.
For completeness, I forgot to mention a Japanese 2A3. |
Thank you so much Wilson, information very much appreciated. Guido |
Guido,
The NC400 modules are available for DIYers only. It's a fairly easy assembly and costs about $1800 total for all parts, including chassis, binding posts, wire, electronics, power supply etc. for two monoblocks.
What you do is buy the NC400 amplifier module and power supply modules from Hypex, and search for some DIY assembly threads on AudioCircle.com and diyaudio.com. Or you can pay someone to assemble them for you -- there are a few builders out there I could put you in touch with.
The NC1200 is available commercially, but those amplifiers are much more expensive.
There are only a handful of OTL amp makers out there and I've owned two different OTLs from two different manufacturers, so you could probably guess who they are. I've also owned or auditioned SET 45 and 300B, and 421A, based amplifiers, some by very well known names from both the US and Japan.
The NC400 is smooth, relaxed, grainless, and neutral. It doesn't have the presence of a 45, but it has more control. It isn't quite as fast as the best OTLs (when paired with the right speakers) but its pretty close.
I'd say its every bit as good as these other very good amplifiers, but it has its own character, and that character is not a bad thing. I'm sure not everyone will think so, but here's one person who thinks they're pretty darn good.
Sometimes I hear people say so and so sounds like SET. Okay, what SET, could you be more specific? When it comes to the Hypex NC400, I'll say you won't have something that sounds like SET, but you'll have something that sounds every bit as good, whose character is very very neutral, but also is totally relaxed, effortless and fatigue free. And at 400 watts, will drive most speakers easily and with slam and authority. Oh and they run cool to the touch with minimum power draw.
Do you miss the big tone of the 6SN7, the drive of a 12AX7, or perhaps the clarity and speed of the 6H30? There are many tube preamps that will pair splendidly with the high 100Kohm input impedance of the NC400.
I've run the NC400 direct from my NAD M51. Good if you like straight up solid state, but its missing the right kind of tube magic.
So far I've paired the NC400 with an Atma-sphere MP-3 and its pretty terrific, as good as anything else I've heard. Next up is an ARC LS26.
Wilson |
Watts per dollar on the dsonics are impressive. |
Hi Wilsynet, what is the brand and specs of your NC-400 amp? Which OTL and SET amps does it replace? What are the merits of the NCore amp vs your previous OTL and SET amps?
Thank you, Guido |
Hypex NCore based amplifiers have been getting a lot of press recently.
I have a pair of NC400 based monoblocks and they compare favorably to the best SET and OTL amplifiers that I've owned. It has been 6 months and I continue to be satisfied. |
Have not heard but do not doubt that high end Class D technology is not fully mature despite being highly competitive currently and that newer CLass D amp designs will only get even better over time.
I do think that sound of better tube amps I have heard (like VAC and ARC) and SS amps tends to converge pretty close to "the ultimate sound", so I do not in particular care too much about one technologies sound versus another, although SS amps that "sound like tube amps" specifically are not very common. I have a pair of TAD 125 hibachi monoblocks also that I run in my second system that is as good as I have heard in regards to a SS amp "sounding like a tube amp". Of course I run a DAC with a tube output section there also so that helps. |
As a long time fan of class D, I am delighted to hear that class D is evolving with new underlying technology. I hope that eventually, some of my favorite manufacturers, like Bel Canto and Rowland, will also adopt it. Guido |
Ooops..its Dennis Deacon, not Dean Deacon with D-Sonic..must be the New year hangover... |
