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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
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darkstar
29 posts
 
Niodari, Check out ATI. They make ncore based amps from 2-8 channels. Come in 200 WPC and 500 WPC.
I needed 200 watts and 8 channels. Driving Linkwitz Orion speakers which use an active crossover. Each driver gets an amp channel.

The sound is high end. Huge stage, precise images and natural timbre. The sound reflects the front end. Changes in upstream equipment are easily audible.
ATI uses a large linear power supply. No SMPS power. I listen about 12 hours a day. Every day. Jazz and classical primarily. No listener fatigue here.
Enjoy
Kevin
niodari's avatar
niodari OP
297 posts
 
Thanks @sumaato for sharing your experience with using different pres for PS audio Stellar S300 amp, and thanks @darstar for letting me know about ATI class D amp (yet unknown for me). Did you select an integrated one or otherwise which  preamp are you using? 

As to the use of preamplifiers,  I suggest that if the source signal is good (and it has volume control) then this signal does not need to be altered before it comes to a power amp. In general, why the source signal should be altered in case you have a good DAC?  I suppose that  a good pre should not alter the signal coming from the source. Its like if someone does not like a salted meal. You still give him a salted meal suggesting to add much sugar to it so that to compensate the excess of salt. As a result, you get much salt and much sugar (but you just wanted a meal without salt, that's all). 

Best, 

Nodari

 


tinear123
240 posts
 
Can someone please list the Top to Midrange Class-D options on the market at present and the relative MSRP?  The Merrill 118 is fantastic but tooooo expensive.  Give me some options <$10k and I'm not one that believes something is better just because it costs more so if you know of an outstanding $700 amp, bring it on.

The Amp will be used in a bi-amp system handling the frequencies below 200Hz so a high damping factor may be a positive... or not.

I'm interested in the views of this group.
helomech
1,519 posts
 
a bit bright and somehow dry, lacking warmness

That description applies to every class D amp I’ve heard, even those with tubes on the input stage.

As for ecological concerns, at low power levels, where most amps operate during most listening, even class D amps are inefficient.
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