Class D is just Dandy!

the nads look interesting

Gents,
I had a pal construct a Class D amp in a nice wood cabinet that set me back the princely sum for $125.  It won a blind comparison against a pricey Class A ss amp at a gathering of the Bay Area Audio Society.  I initially felt the sound of the amp was rather dry sounding compared to my tube amps, but upon further listening, I conclude that it has a very neutral sonic signature.  However, this 125 wpc amp, paired with a Don Sachs 6SN7-based tube preamp, is a wonderful combination.  It drives my Dali Zensor 3 speakers with ease with great detail and extension.

I believe Class D amps are clearly the wave of the future.  They run so cool and efficiently and the new wave of designs I suspect will be able to mimic attributes of the sound of tube gear that so many of us like.  

Hi @roxy54

You know, I probably heard the same Class A amps @whitestix heard in the Bay Area and I have to concur. I re-iterate, blindfolded and level matched I don’t think I could tell them apart from the Parasound A23’s. Both are excellent, modern sounding amps via my reference speakers.

Negatives?
The ICEPower 250 ASP modules are in no way euphonic. They lack the utter calmness and dark backgrounds of the very best Ayre or Arcam systems. They lack the juiciness if not excessive boldness of the best big Conrad Johnson tube amps.

Despite all of this, they are very very engaging and when the music and sources are right just as compelling to listen to as the best amplifiers I have heard.

Unlike the worst SS amps, they also don’t sound thin, compressed, underpowered or grainy at all. I just listened to Trombone Shorty’s latest tracks via Jazz FM 91 and man, freaking awesome playback. Absolutely nothing was missing nor called attention to itself in terms of the amplifier.

Best,


E

Hi randy-11,

If you mean the multi-channel amps with Hypex/nCore modules, YES THEY DO! 

I would just be sure to listen first. I have heard a couple of modern NAD gear and I didn't like it. This is a brand I really encourage you to listen / try out before committing.

Best,


E

Erik,
Great informative post, with accurate descriptions of the objective differences of the sound of Class D vs. other fine amps.   You nailed it.  Class D amps do not presently have the euphonic sound of the best Class A solid state or tube amps, but I think they are exceeding accurate, so one must pick their poison, so to speak.  I dig "green" gear that needs minute amounts of electricity to make my speakers sing and doesn't heat up my listening room in the blistering hot CA summers which was always the curse of my many tube amps, running a half dozen KT88's hard.  To my ears, a tube preamp and solid state amp, including Class D amps, is a match made in audio heaven.  Cheers.