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Class D for a Tube Lover

First, I'm sure this has been asked many times but searching the subject wasn't too helpful to me.

So apologies in advance.

I enjoy tubed electronics and class A amps, which tend to be a bit warm.  My current Cary 805s warm my small (12x16) music room even in the cool/cold of winter.  I've got other amps that don't produce much heat, but am looking for something that produces no heat.  Living in a home with no central AC the room gets uncomfortably hot during the summer months.

So...I'd like to try some Class D amps.  Stereo or mono is just fine.  And my speakers aren't difficult to drive so I don't need a thousand watts.  But if that thousand watt amp sounds great, I'm not adverse to that, either.

I'd like to keep the price under 2k used.  

Please help.

Thanks.


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verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio
1,460 posts
 
Get a Class D with a tube input stage.  I would look seriously at a used Rogue Hydra.  You should be able to find it used for $1500 to $1800.  Then roll in a pair of NOS Cifte or Mullard long plates and be shocked at how much it sounds like a tube amp.  There are more expensive options from AVM and others but the Hydra is a tremendous value and fits your budget.  I have owned one for six years and it is an amp I will probably never sell.  It won't be exactly the same but is a reasonable facsimile. 

I am a dealer but have no affiliation with Rogue Audio.  Just a happy owner.   
ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 
Ignore ALL recommendations. The only way to tell is in your system in your room with your music.

There are far too many technical issues to list, but anyone who claims Class D can sound like tubes does not have a very revealing system.

I have Class D & tubes.
snapsc
661 posts
 
Don't ignore all recommendations....BUT realize that we all have our own sense of what sounds "right".  Instead, recognize that everything that has been listed above has a fan and therefore MIGHT meet your needs...but as you know and has been said, the only way to know is to try.  And the good thing is that most of these companies have either trial periods, demo models or both.
relayer101's avatar
relayer101
606 posts
 
I am driving a pair of Vandersteen Treo’s with a PS Audio Stellar S300 Power Amp and am very satisfied with the performance. Class D output stage and Class A input stage. I needed a smaller amp and it has plenty of power, sounds great, and no heat. others have mentioned that PS Audio has two higher levels of Class D amps the 700 and 1200 and the 1200 has a vacuum tube input stage. I also have a PS Preamplifier and am very happy with that also.
gareents
62 posts
 
I have owned a Rogue Sphinx v3. It was a nice sounding amp, but a little bright for me. However, it was nowhere near the sound of either my McIntosh nor Raven amps which were both just as smooth and revealing without being bright.
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