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Time to buy a class D amp?


Will some new class D amplifiers outperforming the current ones appear soon

(the newest ones i know were released a  few years ago)?

Class D amps attract me as I consider them the most ecological ones with obvious non-auditionable benefits.

I have no doubts that they posses the maximum ratio performance/sound quality among the amplifiers of all classes.

At the same time, the sound quality the class D amplifiers that I have auditioned produce, although is quite good,

but not yet ideal (for my taste).


I use PS Audio Stellar S300 amp with PS audio Gain Cell pre/DAC with Thiel CS 3.6 speakers in one of my systems.

The sound is ok (deep bass, clear soundstage) but not perfect (a bit bright and somehow dry, lacking warmness which might be more or less ok for rock but not for jazz music).

I wonder if there are softer sounding class D amps with the same or better details and resolution. Considering two reasonable (as to the budget) choices for test, Red Dragon S500 and Digital Audio Company's

Cherry  2 (or Maraschino monoblocks), did anybody compare these two?



128x128niodari

Showing 2 responses by golfnutz

golfnutz
231 posts
 

@niodariI, I would avoid the Red Dragon S500 as it’s spec sheet suggests 2.7 ohms minimum. This is the same as the Icepower 1200AS1 or 1200AS2.

I think anyone using speakers that have an impedance below an amplifiers minimum rating will risk clipping the amp, and I don’t think you’d want that (under 3 ohms through MOST of the range).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipping_(audio)

From Stereophile measurements on Thiel 3.6.

"The CS3.6's impedance magnitude and phase plot (fig.1) reveals a very low impedance value. The loudspeaker is under 3 ohms through most of the range, dropping to a minimum of 2.3 ohms at 3.6kHz (the cursor position). The low impedance value explains the CS3.6's need for the iron-fisted Mark Levinson No.23.5 to provide control in the bass; the CS3.6 would appear to be current-hungry".


Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/thiel-cs36-loudspeaker-measurements#sW8lKVPmy1I7xlVD.99

golfnutz
231 posts
 
Sorry @hm1 (Howard Milstein) but not a single negative comments in any of your reviews that I read. They all appear to be written as advertisements. 

Here's a good example of what I mean (W4S mINT review):

Out of curiosity, I decided to laboriously drag out my almost 40-year-old vintage Spendor BC3, loudspeakers (known to have a pretty horrendous impedance curve as many of the finest amps sound quite unhappy trying to drive it). To my surprise, the Mint made this speaker ‘sing’ like I had not heard in many years! 

Horrendous impedance?

Since when is 8 ohms and SPL of 105 dBA  Horrendous? ANY Class-D amp should have no sweat driving these speakers.

Specifications:
Type.................................four-way, floorstanding loudspeaker
L.F unit............................Spendor 12 inch (plastic cone)
M.F unit...........................Spendor 8 inch (1.5 inch voice coil, plactic coil)
H.F unit...........................Celestion Type HF 1300 and type HF 2000
Crossover points.............700Hz to 3kHz to 13kHz
Impedance......................8 ohm
Frequency range............30Hz to 20kHz
Frequency response......+/- 2.5dB, 50Hz to 14kHz
Power rating...................70 Watts
Sensitivity.....................  +2.5dB relative to 1dyne/cm square/volts applied
Sound pressure level.....105 dBA
Connection...................."XLR" 4pin
Weight............................75lbs

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