I agree completely with one thing that Stanwal said:
"I would have a long listening session with any of them before buying"
That is because switching amps -- which in most cases are analog devices and not digital) -- like any other technologies, have a sound that is much more characteristic to a manufacturer or an individual model than to a 'class'. Thus the sound can range from bright and distorted to exceedingly musical, from extremely extended to limited in bandwidth, from 'dry' to harmonically rich and complex, from quite rough to incredibly subtle.
It is worth pointing out that the HiFi Critic article is almost 2 years old and that at least 2 of the amps reviewed there are obsolete and withdrawn. Furthermore, From a logician's point of view, the negative inductive reasoning used by the author to draw his generalized condamnation is essentially flawed. . . there may be close to 100 switching amps on the market today. . . he examined 3 and declared them to be wanting, then glibly proceeds to condemn the whole lot, based on his spectacularly limited observations. On the other hand his guilty virdict -- had been most likely decided 'a priori'.
If the same reviewer were to examine with a completely open mind current production of leading switching amplifiers such as the newest bel canto Ref 1000 Mk.2, JRDG 312, and latest Spectron monos (just to name the very few I am most familiar with)(, he may discover that the art and science of reproducing music is not the sole prerogative of traditional -- and sometimes nostalgic -- technologies.
Returning to the original question, within the very limited scope of my experience, one of the highest values in amplification -- regardless of class and technology -- may be the very moderately priced current crop of Bel Canto monoblock amps: the Ref 500 Mk.2 and the Ref 1000 Mk.2. As for which variant of underlying chip set may be best. . . it is a question for which there is no particularly valid answer. . . to paraphrase and old cliche. . . "Tubes and chips don't make music. . . designers with tubes and chips make music!"
G.
"I would have a long listening session with any of them before buying"
That is because switching amps -- which in most cases are analog devices and not digital) -- like any other technologies, have a sound that is much more characteristic to a manufacturer or an individual model than to a 'class'. Thus the sound can range from bright and distorted to exceedingly musical, from extremely extended to limited in bandwidth, from 'dry' to harmonically rich and complex, from quite rough to incredibly subtle.
It is worth pointing out that the HiFi Critic article is almost 2 years old and that at least 2 of the amps reviewed there are obsolete and withdrawn. Furthermore, From a logician's point of view, the negative inductive reasoning used by the author to draw his generalized condamnation is essentially flawed. . . there may be close to 100 switching amps on the market today. . . he examined 3 and declared them to be wanting, then glibly proceeds to condemn the whole lot, based on his spectacularly limited observations. On the other hand his guilty virdict -- had been most likely decided 'a priori'.
If the same reviewer were to examine with a completely open mind current production of leading switching amplifiers such as the newest bel canto Ref 1000 Mk.2, JRDG 312, and latest Spectron monos (just to name the very few I am most familiar with)(, he may discover that the art and science of reproducing music is not the sole prerogative of traditional -- and sometimes nostalgic -- technologies.
Returning to the original question, within the very limited scope of my experience, one of the highest values in amplification -- regardless of class and technology -- may be the very moderately priced current crop of Bel Canto monoblock amps: the Ref 500 Mk.2 and the Ref 1000 Mk.2. As for which variant of underlying chip set may be best. . . it is a question for which there is no particularly valid answer. . . to paraphrase and old cliche. . . "Tubes and chips don't make music. . . designers with tubes and chips make music!"
G.