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Class D Technology

So I get the obvious strengths of Class D. Efficiency, power output & running cool which allows for small form factors. I also understand the weaknesses somewhat. 1. Non-linear & lots of distortion that needs to be cleaned up with an output filter. 
So my question is, if it weren't for efficiency & power, would there be any reason to own a Class D amp? Do they beat Class A in any other categories that count for sound quality?  
seanheis1
statman's avatar
statman
282 posts
 
I am extremely happy with my Theta Prometheus amplifiers. The front end tubed preamp just makes the result that much better. If possible listen to the amps in your system.
mapman's avatar
mapman
15,679 posts
 
I've observed part of the maturing  of Class D technology in recent years is that noise as Atmasphere mentions is a valid concern that may have been a more common issue earlier on in some cases when not handled properly but should not be and is not in practice an issue normally anymore with newer well designed and properly functioning Class D amps.
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
3,575 posts
 
Speaker cables would be a very poor antenna.  Since wavelength of 500kHz switching frequency is 600m a typical 2m cables would be 1/300 wavelength antenna.  Usually antenna becomes rapidly ineffective below 1/10 of the wavelength.
guidocorona
4,114 posts
 

Thank you Tim and nyame.... I try to report what class D amps I have experienced in the last decade in as unadorned a way as I can.


One more class D amp worth looking at below $10K is the Theta Prometheus... I believe it is an NCore NC500 implementation which uses custom toroidal transformers instead of the standard NCore SMPs or a custom SMPS...


Perhaps you Statman can tell us more about your unit.... How long has break-in taken to complete... What amp is it replacing.... And what audible characteristics are most salient on Prometheus?


Regards, Guido


   

georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
4,966 posts
 
Theta Prometheus... I believe it is an NCore NC500
Ncore NC1200 class-D module with a linear power supply created by Theta's David Reich.

Cheers George
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