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Do all Class D amps lack soundstage depth?

Hello!
Recently I bought a class D amp for my friend from Audiogon - PS Audio Trio A-100. In general, I liked it sound very much. Compared to the power section of my much cheaper integrated amp (NAD C320BEE), Trio A-100 sounded fresher, more transparent, richer and juicier. NAD was obviously duller and more reserved. Trio A-100 seemed to energize the air with a sort of vibrancy, while NAD seemed more lifeless. (Of course, I am exaggerating the difference between the amps a bit to make it more clear how they differ from each other.) However, Trio A-100 lacked one parameter, which is very essential for me and without which I cannot truly get lost in the music – namely, the soundstage was flat. It wasn’t absolutely flat, no – but NAD did so much better in this department. When NAD was playing, I heard which instruments and singers were farther from me and which were closer to me. When Trio was playing, everything seemed to be on the same line, equidistant from me.

The previous owner of PS Audio Trio A-100 had told to me about its sound before I bought the amp from him, and he frankly admitted that the soundstage was kind of flat. Before this purchase, I nearly bought another Class D amp – namely, Bel Canto S300. Eventually, this amp went to another buyer, but the owner shared with me his impressions about this amp and, among other things, he wrote: “There might be less depth with some recordings”.

So, at least two owners of Class D amps confessed that their amps lacked soundstage depth.

I wonder – are all Class D amps like that? Is the lack of depth something which is intrinsically inherent in Class D?

My second question is – what if I buy TWO Class D amps and use them as monoblocks – will it solve the problem with the flatness of the soundstage?

Any advice based on personal experience will be much appreciated.
ironmine
br3098
660 posts
 
Ironmine, I think that we all understood what you were asking. My point was that I can't recommend a specific amp that will substantially alter your soundstage. As I said and in my opinion, that is speaker issue. If you had poor results with the Trio A-100, then possibly it is a poor match for your speakers (although the admission of the previous owner should have been a clue).

You will need to try some other amps to find one that you like. You haven't mentioned what speakers you are attemptng to drive, nor anything about placement or your room or... get my drift?

I like Channel Islands Audio's offerings for Class-D and other SS products. Dusty is a great guy, he has been around a long time, and his ideas about good sound mimic mine (somewhat). But I can't and won't guess if CIA D-100 or D-200 monoblocks will work well in your system. Order a set for evaluation and you tell us.
ironmine OP
40 posts
 
Br3098, you wrote: "As I said and in my opinion, that is speaker issue."

Then, how come NAD creates a deep soundstage through the same speakers?

I have AE speakers, they are 8 ohm and 150 W maximum power handling capacity. So, from the technical point of view, PS-Audio (100W) is better suited for my speakers than NAD (50W). And I could hear it, the sound improved overall in all aspects except soundstage depth.
tholt
545 posts
 
Is there a reason why you're so caught up in class D?

I've read many things about class D, esp before I bought mine, and there was never a mention of flat dimensionality. What are your speakers? Have you determined that specs/wattage of the class D's you've looked at and/or interested and your speaks match up well on paper?
tholt
545 posts
 
whoops, we must have posted at the same time. How about contacting your speaker manufacturer and asking about recommended amps?
2chnlben
595 posts
 
The biggest criticism of class D has been that the regulating of power via switching modes results in greater distortion than what is typically present in good A, A/B designs; and that the necessary filtering processes utilized in class D aren’t entirely effective in resolving the issue of distortion. I have heard a lot of criticisms of the supposedly inherent problems with class D switching designs, but never relating to soundstage (inherent). I’m running a PS Audio GCC-250; I’m not sure what ICE module it utilizes, but I have always appreciated the wide and deep soundstage that my system produces. I did purchase a stage II mod on my amp, but I’m not sure if that resulted in an ICE module change. If you want to be certain that you don’t have “class D issues” you may want to stay with A/B, as there are some fine A/B amps for sale on the used market.

For what it’s worth, once I removed my component rack from between my speakers, I heard a real improvement in the overall soundstage.
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