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Digital, Low Mass, ClassD, Less expensive, Let it happen!

Well here we are! Not that you can't go back and buy boat anchors, but now we know sound is better with low mass designs. Digital source? Yep, the tide has turned. ClassD amplification is also here to stay. Lower mass speakers, on their way back too. The audiophile hobby is getting less expensive and better sounding.

I guess we can debate this, but it's happening anyway. The hobby is simply growing up and becoming more aware of how to get great sound, and get it smart. There has been a lot of myths passed down when we only had paperback magazines, mostly for marketing, but the internet has finally caught up with audio reality. Instead of $20,000.00 components we have $20,000.00 whole systems (including all the trimming). Shoot, there are $5,000.00 systems that excel. The Trade Shows are changing, the market is changing and we are changing. Want to stay old school? No problem, there will always be old school and plenty of used gear (at least for our lifetimes). There will also be smaller niche companies that spring up to tempt us.

The hobby is entering a new era for the extreme listener. It will be a hobby of doing and exploring Electrical, Mechanical and Acoustical as equals. Components will be much smaller and more flexible, and more time will be spent on playing our whole music collection, and not just a few recordings. Many HEA debates will be making their way to the archives as the hobby grows closer to mainstream. Mainstream as in higher quality audiophile mainstream.

Are you ready? I sure am!

Michael Green


http://www.michaelgreenaudio.net/

michaelgreenaudio
michaelgreenaudio's avatar
michaelgreenaudio OP
643 posts
 

Hi Erik

Yep, some folks here can be funny (desperate for relevance it seems) while sitting in their sinking boat, trying to find the increasing holes to plug.

Your statement..."I'm going to go with my ears instead, thank you for playing" ….I'm sure burns a hole in their souls, but it doesn't get anymore truthful and simplistic as that.

It's not even an issue that we as audiophiles don't enjoy and respect eras past. I'm pretty sure all of us have had a blast exploring different design types and the designers who sport them. It's part of what gave HEA it's charm, especially before the price hikes. But, I also think most of us knew the day would come that amplifiers would become more practical and better sounding. At least this is what I always thought.

It's kind of what we have been saying since the late 70's "audio is not complicated, people are". Audio is one of those technologies that was destined to be over built and then reverse course when it went too far in the boat anchor direction. HEA took overbuild to the extreme and took part of a listening generation with it. But, that was never going to last. Amplifiers are a tool, much like crossovers are. However watch what happens to speaker designing as the class D amps take over.

mg

kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
@erik_squires 

Contrived? Do you know what that word means? That silly boy up there is banging on about some swell of forum talk that doesn't even exist to justify the ridiculous assertion that class D is some wave of the future. Well, it's had about 10 years to be taken seriously and it's still not there judging by the volume of people talking about it. The stuff MG says is completely nonsensical when you look at the larger body of interest and conversations going on out there in audio. Class D fans really do seem to live in an echo chamber of their own confirmation bias among each other. 
erik_squires
5,268 posts
 
Contrived? Do you know what that word means? That

Caught me, I guess my vocabulary isn't nearly as good as your cherry picking of data to suite a particular view.

I think we don't realize how many more devices can play music today than in the past. Telephones, laptops, televisions. Above probably 10 watts, I'd be willing to guess that the majority of devices the average consumer listens to music with are Class D, and 99% of that from a digital source.
If we want to talk about HEA as a club, of which some people may be allowed to enter and others not, then sure, let's define it as linear amplifiers only club.

I'd rather talk about where most music listeners and lovers are going though, and Class D is going to be it for many of them.
Best,

E


michaelgreenaudio's avatar
michaelgreenaudio OP
643 posts
 

Yep, typing class D amplifiers into a search engine is getting more and more exciting.

For my uses "Tunable" the class D move has been a no brainer. So much so that I’ve been considering bringing my own amp to market to be part of the Rev Speaker Combo. The sound and practicality of these class D amps are game changing for speaker and room designing. Very impressive!

MG

kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
@erik_squires 

The VAST majority of music listeners aren't audiophiles, and most haven't heard a stereo purpose built for listening to music. So really, who cares what they think or buy? Most people listen to MP3 files. Are you going to tell me that's the new audiophile standard too?
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