Class A amps or Class D??: Which sounds better??

In the world of musical instrument amps class D has made huge inroads for bass players and also keyboards, because they are a lot lighter.

But to say that they sound better is another thing! Even with the highly inaccurate speakers that are common with music amplifiers, the lack of authority that class D brings to the party is obvious- a good tube amp, class A or AB, can deal a swift blow to class D.

Not surprisingly, in the world of high end audio I hear exactly the same thing. Can't say so much about a class A transistor amp, but if you are talking tubes, it almost seems like there is no contest- the tubes will easily rule the day.

Caveats:
1) the tube and class D amps must be compared on a speaker that is comfortable for both amplifiers.
2) speaker cables are kept short.

Hi Athmosphere:

Your caveat #1 negates your point, largely. If its non-OTL
tube amp then if power is needed I HEAR distortions I can't tolerate. So for easily driven speakers when low power is needed I also prefer tube.

For OTL, the power is not a big problem, absense of the output transformer make it (almost) dissapear. The problems with OTL are two fold: they have difficulties to drive low impedance speakers and require high degree of maintance. Otherwise, I am OTL lover and as you know I work with Jud Barber of Joule-Electra because of it !!!!

Regarding your caveat #2, I can't comment because we at Spectron Audio have proprietary speaker cable, we call
"Remote Sense" which negatate effects of imperfect real-life long speaker cables.

All The Best

Simon

To many variables to give an accurate answer. Lets just give our thanks to the gentleman who keep improving our amps and enjoy the music. They are both winners when put in their proper place. Do we really need a winner? Enjoy

["07-23-12: Atmasphere
But to say that they sound better is another thing! Even with the highly inaccurate speakers that are common with music amplifiers, the lack of authority that class D brings to the party is obvious- a good tube amp, class A or AB, can deal a swift blow to class D.'}

Your opinion regarding class D, while somewhat shallow, is understandable.

I've been playing Upright and Slab Bass professionally since 1965. Playing in the rhythm section means you have the largest gear to deal with. I own and have owned a great deal of instrument amplification over the years. It boils down to having the right tool for the job. Often I need to transport my fiddle, amplifier and cabinet, in one trip to and from the car. A 90 pound Ampeg SVT head is out of the question.

My Acoustic Image Focus 2R has two preamp sections, effects, and puts out 600 watts at 6 pounds. With my 12" shallow wedge monitor it's a one trip combination. Combined with my Bag End 4-10" it eats my 1970 Ampeg SVT/8-10" for lunch. It goes lower and louder with much more tonal flexibility. With a Slab Bass and the 4-10" it's one trip to the car. The Ampeg and the Mesa 400 are collecting dust and value as time passes. The Ampeg SVT is still very popular yet it's the silliest bass amp ever made.

I also have some very powerful QSC amplifiers. They have switching power supplies but even they get congested when pushed. Class D doesn't, its like the cabinets are plugged directly into the AC receptacle. I'm not aware of any class A solid state instrument amplifiers.

I love listening to the relaxed presentation of my tube amps in my main system. In my little studio I have a much different goal, I need to hear everything. I'm driving my Avalon Monitors with a pair of DIY Hypex nCores 400s which recently replaced a big well known solid state amp. The improvement in reveling transparency with the nCores and the Monitors is stunning.

I've owned a few switching amplifiers, IMO the nCore design is by far the biggest single step forward in class D technology. Then again its still class D.

>>07-22-12: Csontos
The amp on the other hand is the heart of the system.<<

That is incorrect.

It all starts with the speakers; they are the most important component in every system.