What going fully Class D has taught me.

After going through so many threads, one things is for sure - Class D's performance surely is confusing.

Sometimes, I think that is because people are so much used to Class AB that a small amplifiers running huge speakers affects them psychologically? But again there are a few threads where I have read some folks who were into SET amplification have found GaN amplification similar to SET amps and have switched to class D.

The only way to find out is by personally experiencing Class D. I was seriously thinking of NAD M23 v2, AGD Duet, any other Purifi based amps, etc.

The only way to find out is by personally experiencing Class D. I was seriously thinking of NAD M23 v2, AGD Duet, any other Purifi based amps, etc.

Exactly right. If a bear sings Puccini in the woods the only way to know if he's talented is to go listen for yourself. 

@milpai  - I really do think it's half old myths die hard but also, half is I've become accustomed to this tweaky, unique sounding 12 Watt Class A amp and the Class D amp I listened to for 30 seconds doesn't sound like it. 

Fine, fine, I’ll chime in. Over many years of experimenting in my own system, I have concluded that it’s the preamp that is the heart of your system’s electrical performance fingerprint. The amp simply makes the preamp’s sonic signature louder. For me, as I prefer the lush, rich, harmonic subtleties of tubes (yes, we can debate if that is “distortion” and if that is good or bad, etc.), I have found that employing the best tube preamp for your tastes/budget, and then amplifying that signal with whatever amp works best for your speaker’s unique electrical characteristics, is the best approach.

I’m not an electrical engineer, but I’ve come to believe, through lots of system configurations over the years, that the power amp is simply an extension of the electrical circuitry of your speakers. You might think of the amp as part of your speaker (I know I’m gonna catch flak for that, but that has been my experience). From that context, the amp simply does what the preamp tells it to, in order to “mate” with your speaker’s electrical characteristics. Things like impedance, sensitivity, etc of your speakers can help define the best amp for them, rather than focusing on the amp’s “sonic personality” per se.

I have had good results with modern class D amps to drive full-range speakers, with tube preamps up front. Certainly, for subwoofers, class D has clear advantages.

The good news? We have Audiogon to feed this addiction. It could be worse – we could be obsessed with vintage cars.  ;-)

I think you are right and it is even at low cost in my system my own experience too ...

Fine, fine, I’ll chime in. Over many years of experimenting in my own system, I have concluded that it’s the preamp that is the heart of your system’s electrical performance fingerprint. The amp simply makes the preamp’s sonic signature louder. For me, as I prefer the lush, rich, harmonic subtleties of tubes (yes, we can debate if that is “distortion” and if that is good or bad, etc.), I have found that employing the best tube preamp for your tastes/budget, and then amplifying that signal with whatever amp works best for your speaker’s unique electrical characteristics, is the best approach.

I’m not an electrical engineer, but I’ve come to believe, through lots of system configurations over the years, that the power amp is simply an extension of the electrical circuitry of your speakers. You might think of the amp as part of your speaker (I know I’m gonna catch flak for that, but that has been my experience). From that context, the amp simply does what the preamp tells it to, in order to “mate” with your speaker’s electrical characteristics. Things like impedance, sensitivity, etc of your speakers can help define the best amp for them, rather than focusing on the amp’s “sonic personality” per se.

I have had good results with modern class D amps to drive full-range speakers, with tube preamps up front. Certainly, for subwoofers, class D has clear advantages.

The good news? We have Audiogon to feed this addiction. It could be worse – we could be obsessed with vintage cars.  ;-)