Not to steer this off topic, but no system can produce a convincing life-like sound, partly because the recording equipment cannot capture it. This is most evident in note decay. Musicians will know what I'm referring to. Anyone who thinks their system can recreate a live performance should go buy a cheap guitar, play a few chords and compare that to their very best acoustic recordings.
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.
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.
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I just wanted to weigh in here and say to all those who have low opinions of Class D amps and dismiss them outright, you may be overlooking their potential as a lower cost bi-amping solution for bass when looking for a solution for difficult to drive speakers. Even though you would never use them on the top end or as a single amp solution they do have cost effective applications on the low end, bi-amped. I have never heard a hi-end Class D amp so won't offer an opinion on their musicality. I do have two Crown XLS 2500 amps (low end Class D amps price wise at $595) pushing the woofers on my Infinity Kappa 9's and even these really delivery on the low end. So much so I have considered upgrading to a better Class D amp just for bass. (Suggestions welcome.) I have mono class A tube amps on the top end that cost over 10x the Crowns and of course there is no comparison. But together they sound excellent and these inexpensive Crowns have helped me avoid having to spend a lot on a big Class A SS amp like a Krell or other high current amp that these speakers need. |
1extreme Excellent way of utilizing them as that’s where they shine at the moment, with their output impedance down in the milliohms region (damping factor massive), so long as the speakers load impedance doesn’t get real nasty, as most that I’ve seen don’t seem to like <3ohms too much. Cheers George |
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The truth is class D is totally mediocre.If you think its great jump on an amp ASAP!!!!Report this @ebm Blanket statements like this, without qualifying them with your experience, and speakers used are entirely unhelpful. Want to fill this in with what you find not-mediocre, and what Class D you have heard? Best, E |
- 201 posts total