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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
serhan62
14 posts
 
Hi,

This is in response to the original post of Niodari.  I have the same setup but for power amplification I use M700 monoblocs.  For my digital front I have the DirectStream with Bridge II, and for my analogue front I use two turntables with PS Audio's Stellar Phono Preamp. I enjoy listening to Jazz and Classical.

Before considering a new amp, may I suggest looking at interconnects, and speaker cables as well as the incoming power line for interference from any transformers / adapters that are connected in parallel. I would start with the power conditioner and the devices that share it with the pre - power combo.  

One of the options you may want to test-drive is Van Den Hul The Second in XLR format. Linear Carbon has unique audio characteristics. Once you have exhausted the possibility of improvement with interconnects, you may wish to test-drive your speaker cables. There reasonably priced very good cables from AudioQuest, Tellurium Q, QED, Black Rhodium, and Chord Co.  
turnbowm
353 posts
 
Has anyone had AM/FM reception problems when using Class D amplifiers?
mr_m
1,900 posts
 
No.
frostdotcom
39 posts
 
atmosphere is right on this one.  class d is just like any other amp.  the sound is in the details of the designer.  noise your dog can hear?  old crt monitors exibit a whine at 36000hz.  you cant hear it.  Ive heard terrible class d amps and wonderful class d amps.  issues are up to the amps design and all variants can sound great if designed well.

noble100's avatar
noble100
2,419 posts
 
Hello turnbowm,

     While it is true that class D amps in general emit radio frequency (RF) energy that can interfere with AM/FM frequency reception, class D amp designers are very well aware of this issue and typically make containing, controlling and attenuating these RF emissions a top priority in their designs.  
     If all class D amps were to be tested and ranked by RF emissions, however, I suspect the results would vary significantly between amps and that they'd also likely be directly related to the skill level of each amp's designer and the new retail price of each amp. 
     OTOH, I've purchased and used many stereo and monoblock class D amps in my system ranging in price between $630 and $2,200 and have never had AM/FM reception problems in my rooms with any of them.

Tim
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