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

The review of Nuforces Ref 9 SE V2 in Decembers The Absolute Sound is a good example of how Class D has evolved. A very positive review by a first rate rag.

I have been on this ride from the beginning with Nuforces class D amp, my first NF Ref 9 of three years ago. The latest version V2 like i suspect of most class D amps mentioned above is far superior to the first versions of these super revealing amps. The truth is these amps are so revealing that if the rest of your system is not up to it you hear the weakest link and its not the amps.

What i dont understand is the wasted time on advising something to someone who like a lot of others i have encountered on this subject who just like to pick and make statements with out any merit. As for Coffeeys negativity who cares i know i dont. We are free to buy and enjoy what we like.

I dont know about other manufacturers of these super amps but in Nuforces case upgrades are offered to there customers. You are not stuck with the old and can easily move up the the newest technology. As good as that business sense is the real reason for my owning these class D amps is they take my system to levels i thought not possible with power, speed, clarity and hours upon hours of music with out fatigue.

I have owned the Gilmore Raven Stereo Class D amp and I have just traded it in for a pair of the Gilmore Raptor monoblocks. I auditioned the Raven against the Nuforce 9 SE v2 and it was far superior in my system (Supratek Chenin tube preamp, Zu Druid Speakers, Zero One Mercury CD-HD player). The Nuforces caused audible interference with my Suprateks, I could actually hear the hum from my listening position. Since others have not seemed to experience the same, all I can say is that the implementation of class D is highly dependent on the rest of your system. My system could not stomach the Nuforce's switching power supply and it's resultant RF noise, the Gilmore's linear PS was a much better match - your mileage may vary.

I have moved to the Raptors since I have recently changed my speakers to vintage Infinity RSIIb's - they need a LOT more power than the Druids!

Ait your quote

"Since others have not seemed to experience the same, all I can say is that the implementation of class D is highly dependent on the rest of your system"

This is why most manufacturers and dealers have gone to a in home audition. I tried different pre amps with my system including Nuforces P-9 and it took the tubed Audio Horizon 2.1 to create the magic sound i was looking to hear with my system.

I am happy for all who can get sound that blows there skirt up and makes there ears happy no mater what gear is used. Good for you Ait way to tell it like it is. I'm sure thats why there so many manufacturers with so much gear available thats making a living in this hobby.

Variety is the spice of life.

hi ait:

i auditioned the raptors, as my friend owns a pair.

did you have a problem with the upper midrange/lower treble ? i liked what the amps did with the bass, but i found the upper midrange/lower treble unpleasant.

I thought I should add my 2 cents since I have just been through this experience. Let me be clear-this is ONLY my perspective, my experience, and what I have heard for myself and from others. I also should mention I see listening to music can be divided into two sets of perceptions. ONe is the OOH AHH category-it's so clean, great bass, it's so smooth, etc. Then the other category is the emotional category where you want to jump up and start playing air guitar or you get choked up if the mood is right on certain songs. I have found the two categories sometimes do not necessarily match. My goal is the second category. I want to be emotionally touched by the music. Having said that, here is what I have found.
Since 1980 I have owned HK, Adcom, NAD, Rotel, Plinius, and Bel Canto. I recently owned a Bel Canto EVo2, Gen 2 ingegrated amp for approximately three years. I recently sold it for financial reasons but thought it was a wonderful piece of gear, well built, nice ergonomics, etc. From a sonic standpoint it was almost perfect. Clear, good bass, holographic, fast, and sometimes a little thin or bright in the treble but I attributed that to my speakers. It seemed to avoid most of the pitfalls of solid state amps. I enjoyed every minute I had it and would probably still have it had I not run into money trouble. However, the longer I had it the more I noticed that something was missing. I could never put my finger on it.
After I sold the unit I had to use a little NAD 7020 receiver. As impressive at it is, it is not quite as clean or quite as powerful (darn close though) but I was stunned by the muscality, by the emotional impact it had. Then it hit me. What I was missing with the digital amp was the emotional connection to the music. I talked to the dealer that had sold me the unit and he was not surprised to hear this. He said the trend he is seeing is that people think the digital is wonderful at first. But over a period of time, for many it seems to take a couple years, people begin to realize something is missing. He lent out one of the units a couple years ago to a big shot audiophile. This individual had the unit for about two weeks. He brought it back in and made the statement, "It is great; it does nothing wrong; does everything almost perfectly and I hate it." He couldn't explain why. A salesman at a well-known high end distributor who carried these items told me over the phone that he had spent a great deal of time listening to the Bel Canto and his feeling was it did everything well but the 'soul' was stripped from the music.
Once again, this is only my experience living with this type of amp for the last three years and what I have heard from others. As I said, I probably would still have it but knowing what I know now, I am not sure how long I would have kept it. I guess it is going to affect everybody differently and like everything else in audio, it is all in what you like, not what anybody else likes.