"D" amps, general discussion who's 1 and why?

Muralman1 said:

"Every over and up sampling player sucks the stage both horizontally and
vertically. Also, all harmonics vanish. The difference is striking. I have had a
Modright tubed Sony SACD here, and with the same negative results.

The tubes do no good in resurrecting the SACD's performance. The digital
filter damages the tube's good qualities."

Thanks for clarifying. Ok, I see where you're coming from, but I disagree. My Playback Designs MPS-5 plays RBCD or SACDs wonderfully while using an upsampling scheme. Many people have now heard the PD and consistantly consider it one of the top players available.

When tubes are suggested to address a digital source problem, I grow suspicious. Generally, I think that tube lovers should stick with all-tube pre/power systems; however, mixing a tube pre with SS power amps, including Class D, can work very well. There's usually a reason that people turn toward tubes and, IME, it's often to offset a weakness in their sources.

Dave

Ghostrider45, I use the Quantum theory because it fits. My speaker cables are extremely thin ribbons. The music signal in all it's fruition slips through without inhibition. We are talking about the very small.

I can use words like, every, always, never, because I am talking about events witnessed on my system. I would be lying otherwise.

Maab, what I offered up was my listening experience in my system. I did wonder, however, whether with proper equipment if I might be able to actually back up my impressions with measurements.

But then I decided to listen to music instead. ;-)

Class "D" seems to most defiantly becoming more and more popular. The advancement of the sound qualities constantly improving.

There is always going to be different opinions as is life.

I'm constantly reading and hearing from others that they are going with some sort of "Class D" amp product and replacing some pretty well known and respected pieces and this is why it has really peaked my interest.

I guess I'm going to have to put behind that past year I had which was a disappointment and try again.


Now comes the decisions, which one do I want to try first and why, any opinions.

I can't find what your pre is Dev.

If you'd be willing to forgo the pre, I'm thinking that you should seriously consider the Rowland Continuum 500, which gives you a great pre, power factor correction and most of the circuit of the 312, all for much less than the cost of a Capri/501 monos/PFC combination.

If you want to stay with your pre, then consider the 501s PLUS Power Factor Correction. Try to run everything balanced and see what you think. With luck you can find some used 501s here on A'gon and add PFC.

Few of us need the power of the mono Spectrons, but, if you do, there's very few substitutes right now. My experience with the Continuum shows me that huge reserves of power is a good thing, at least when the power is clean, transparent and non-punitive (as with some older SS amps in other classes).

Dave