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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?



niodari
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,428 posts
 
Read again from Texas Instruments, far more authoritative than you Ralph, and this is still with the output filter in place, but with it set too high, without it and you have a tweeter meltdown.

From Texas Instruments:
On output filters of Class-D amps that are set too high corner frequency.
"A concern with the switching waveform being dissipated in the speaker is that it may cause damage to the speaker"

This is what happened to my mates Wilson 8’s above, as Wilson does not use a Zoble Filters on it’s tweeter and I on any of their speakers tweeters.


Oh, sure- that is indeed a concern for the *designer*. Not the finished product! Your friend's speaker was not damaged by the residual of a class D amp; that idea is ridiculous. If indeed the anecdote is real and this isn't a made up story then the tweeter was damaged by an amplifier being driven into overload. That is the most common way tweeters are damaged.



mapman's avatar
mapman
23,631 posts
 
FWIW I’ve run a bunch of Class D amps over the last several years all the time and no tweeter meltdowns. In fact 0 issues and they even tend to be the quietest amps ever. Never a sound other than what’s playing. I even leave them on most of the time as recommended.
 
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,541 posts
 
Good Class D's like everything else costs a lot of money.   I'd wait a year or two
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
FWIW I’ve run a bunch of Class D amps over the last several years all the time and no tweeter meltdowns.
I didn't say it happens with all, just one version of those Class-D's  that I've seen.
And when as Texas Instruments say, when the output filter is set too high to get more bandwidth from the amp.
Like some one said here they have one that goes to 1mhz in bandwidth!! this one will certainly over time cook or quickly the tweeters voice coils.
I even leave them on most of the time as recommended.
I don't think this is a good practice, as you don't know or hear how much switching noise is being let through to the tweeters, if a bit, it can slowly temper and blue the voice coils, as what happened to my friends Wilson tweeters, they still worked, he was just complaining that his highs had deteriorated, and yes those well known expensive Class-D's were left on 24/7 for over 1 year on his speakers. 

Cheers George
noble100's avatar
noble100
2,419 posts
 
George,

     I believe your bringing up tweeter damage supposedly caused by class D amps and warning not to leave them on 24/7 are just red herrings since these claims are poorly documented and defy reason.  Are you now so desperate that you're now reverting to attempting to scare individuals away from using class D amps in their systems?

    I've used two stereo and a pair of monoblocks in my combo music and ht system that have been powered on 24/7 now for over the last 5 years  with only very positive and zero negative results.  Just excellent sound performance, no excess heat and low electricity bills.

    You need a new strategy besides disinformation.

Tim
     
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