D-SONIC SOA Class-D Core Amps. The best Class-D ?

Not all B&O icepower modules are the same. Some are newer, some are older. SOmetimes, different ones are used in teh same line at same time, like BC ref500m versus ref1000m.

Have not kept up on new Icepower development though. Have they stopped refining Icepoweer at this point? Certainly there is more and more competition all the time now it seems, which is to be expected. The landscape might be totally different in just a few years. Not uncommon for companies that forge new frontiers to fall by the wayside over time as others follow.

It appears that B&O has not moved beyond pulse width modulation, which is the area that amp enigineers have focused on in recent years claiming that PWM has hit its limit regarding the problems with PWM such as feedback and noise in the upper frequencies, as well as RFI/EMI problems. The only Class-D company that has fallen by the wayside and gone out of business was TriPath. Abletec, Hypex and the others are doing very well. Lets see whats in store for Pasquale. It appears based on my discussions with these company sources, that newer, alternative modulating techniques have resulted in zero feedback, much better linearity, and lower noise bringing Class-D much closer to the very best Class A and A/B SS and tube amps.

"It appears that B&O has not moved beyond pulse width modulation, which is the area that amp enigineers have focused on in recent years claiming that PWM has hit its limit regarding the problems with PWM such as feedback and noise in the upper frequencies, as well as RFI/EMI problems. "

I wonder if B&O or other engineers still dealing with it would agree that PWM has hit its limit? No surprise the competition would claim that.

I can vouch that Bel Canto ref1000m Icepower based amps do very well in regards to RFI/EMI. I have had those problems in the past. THe Class Ds would not be in my system if that had turned out to be a problem. There are many Class D amps out there, including ones that use stock Icepower, that have been reported to have that issue, but apparently it is not terminal for all Icepower amps.

True..but John Stronczer at Bel canto does extensive mods and upgrades to correct that problem. As a stock amp, the problem is their and can only be corrected with additional filters and shielding. The newer stock designs from Abletec and Hypex don't have that problem and the in house class D devices from Audio Research and Nuforce seem to overcome those issues as well. B&O ICE amps have been in production since 1999, and recently companies such as Jeff Rowland and D-Sonic have dropped B&O in favor of newer Class-D engineering that is more advanced with less technical problems.

I noticed on B&O's ICE power website that they are in need of engineers and are taking job applications. I found out this morning that the new Pasquale Class-D amps that Jeff Rowland will be using are designed by former B&O engineers.