Digital Amps vs Solid State Amps


Has any one compared a fully broken in, quality digital (class D) amp to a solid state (class A) amp. We have a Levinson 333.5. Other than light weight, less electrical draw, and cooler operation, will Class D amps out-perform Amps similar to to the 333.5? We are driving Thiel 3.6's.

Frequency extension, depth, holographics, bass control, treble control, slam, dynamics, staging, detail, mids, etc are it.
levchappy

Showing 3 responses by kijanki

Magfan - I remember in late 70's Timex/Sinclair computer with BASIC interpreter and keypad with direct commands. Whole thing was running on Z80 Zilog processor. It had 1kB of RAM but you could extend it with external plug in module. I played fascinating game of table tennis on that thing for many hours.
Not exactly. FM was proposed first by Edwin Howard Armstrong in 1935 paper: "A Method of Reducing Disturbances in Radio Signaling by a System of Frequency Modulation"

Class D amplifier was proposed first by P.J Baxandal in 1959.

First commercial class D amplifier was designed by Gordon Edge and manufactured by Clive Sinclair in 1964 under name X-10.

www.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/audio/gallery/x-10_boxed.jpg
www.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/audio/gallery/x-10_ad.jpg

It was Hi-Fi amp - it says so on the box (LOL)
Alan - Digital amps most likely don't have higher amount of feedback since analog parameter - time (duty cycle) is more linear than class AB transistors. High damping comes from the fact that speaker is always connected between very low impedance points thru very low resistance Mosfets. Icepower uses full bridge (H-Bridge) of N-Channel Mosfets that keep speaker connected between GND and V+ - only direction changes.

Class AB amps in contrast have often very high gain before feedback is applied reaching 4000. Class A i better in that respect with gains as low as 200 and that's were I would place digital amps.