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I went from Class D to Luxman A/AB - And most of what you think is wrong

Hi everyone,

As most of you know, I’m a fan of Class D. I have lived with ICEPower 250AS based amps for a couple of years. Before that I lived with a pair of Parasound A21s (for HT) and now I’m listening to a Luxman 507ux.


I have some thoughts after long term listening:
  • The tropes of Class D having particularly bad, noticeable Class D qualities are all wrong and have been for years.
  • No one has ever heard my Class D amps and gone: "Oh, wow, Class D, that’s why I hate it."
  • The Luxman is a better amp than my ICEPower modules, which are already pretty old.

I found the Class D a touch warm, powerful, noise free. Blindfolded I cannot tell them apart from the Parasound A21s which are completely linear, and run a touch warm due to high Class A operation, and VERY similar in power output.


The Luxman 507 beats them both, but no amp stands out as nasty sounding or lacking in the ability to be musical and involving.


What the Luxman 507 does better is in the midrange and ends of the spectrum. It is less dark, sweeter in the midrange, and sounds more powerful, almost "louder" in the sense of having more treble and bass. It IS a better amplifier than I had before. Imaging is about the same.


There was one significant operational difference, which others have confirmed. I don't know why this is true, but the Class D amps needed 2-4 days to warm up. The Luxman needs no time at all. I have no rational, engineering explanation for this. After leaving the ICEPower amps off for a weekend, they sounded pretty low fi. Took 2 days to come back. I can come home after work and turn the Luxman on and it sounds great from the first moment.


Please keep this in mind when evaluating.


Best,

E
erik_squires
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 

There you go twisting things again.
  
The only interest you Ricevs and  Mike Mivera have coincidently in degrading anything to do with Class-D GaN Technology, is because it poses a big threat to all your yet to be released non GaN class-D amps. Which you all so delicately push here on these threads, except for Mike who got what seems to be a permanent sabbatical away from Agon for pushing too hard. 
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,574 posts
 
The only interest you Ricevs and Mike Mivera have coincidently in degrading anything to do with Class-D GaN Technology, is because it poses a big threat to all your yet to be released non GaN class-D amps. Which you all so delicately push here on these threads, except for Mike who got what seems to be a permanent sabbatical away from Agon for pushing too hard.
Sorry, don't know what you're talking about. I can't recall nor can you point to a post of mine where I've 'degraded anything to do with Class-D GaN Technology' as you put it. FWIW we've been working with GaN FETs for quite some time. IMO it makes no sense not to.
devilboy
1,172 posts
 
George, as I said in a previous post, you recently posted a list of manufactures poo pooing class D. I said it was because they see it as a threat to their non class D amps...... Which is exactly what you just said.
tweak1
3,532 posts
 
GFi
REALLY? You think RicEVS is 'stuck' selling only modified IcePower class D? Why would you think he is not able to switch to GaN anytime he feels it is ready for his Pixey Dust, and at a price his customers are able to afford?  I for one stretched to $2200

And again, ad nausea it seems, I and others here  have owned plenty of newer class D and are not bothered by the demons that keep you on your relentless soap box.
Why not just leave it alone. There has to be better things you could be doing with your time
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
George, as I said in a previous post, you recently posted a list of manufactures poo pooing class D. I said it was because they see it as a threat to their non class D amps...... Which is exactly what you just said.
Just look at the calibre of those manufacturers v the ones trying to bring out backyard Class-D’s on these forums

You think RicEVS is ’stuck’ selling only modified IcePower class D? Why would you think he is not able to switch to GaN
To do that you need to buy either ready made boards then do simple mod and call them your own, if not and you want to do your own GaN Technology boards, you need the knowledge to design it from scratch, and you need some serious automated wave soldering machines to do all those smd parts that are involved, you can’t do it by hand.
http://www.onlysmt.com/Uploads/5b7bf3e74d93c.jpg
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