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

Amplifier performance and synergy depends on the other components, and cables in a system. I have read alot about the advantages of Class A.amps Though an older amp design, do class A amps necessarily sound better than Class D digital amps like Nu-Force, Bel Canto, and Wyred4Sound?? These class D amps supposedly run more efficiently, with less heat and noise and are smaller in size.

I have a friend who has a Musical Fidelity A3CR power amp and a Bel canto pre-amp, and a pair of Spendor floorstanders. The MF amp is at least 10 years old, and no longer made. I have listened to the amp in his system, and it does sound very good. Most noteably is its across the board smoothness. However, I think its performance is system dependent, and might be a liability in other systems. Would like to hear comments and opinions about these two amp "designs", and if one sounds better than the other, OR JUST DIFFERENT.

BTW, I am not sure that owning a 10 year old amp like the MF A3CR is a good idea, despite its class A rating, and a few positive consumer reviews I have seen. Thank you
sunnyjim

Showing 1 response by sunnyjim

sunnyjim OP
927 posts
 
Thanks to all who responded so far.

To Wolf Garica, the Rogue Medusa (200RMS) is $3995; the Hydra is $2995....and as Sinbad's cabin boy says in the mythical tale:...."beyond the beyond".

What about NuForce class D; there is a model 8.5V3 stereo amp which is "supposed" to be a scaled down version of 9V3 monoblocks. Or, do all these class D amps sound the same??.

Also, there is an Odyssey Khartago SE Extreme (with Kismet upgrades) for sale on AG (Kismet upgrades are not indicated or explained on the Odyssey website) which makes me a bit skidish about the offering. The Khartago operates as a class A/AB amp, if I'm correct
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