As Class D goes, the best I have tried is the Axxess Forté 1 integrated. Its distortion is second order dominant, therefore it does sound similar to some tube prducts. That said, I still prefer good ol’ class A and tubes to any of the many class D amps I’ve owned. I am doubtful any existing class D product can emulate that “lit from within” midrange you get from a good EL34 amp.
What is your favorite Class D amp?
Moving to a new home with a smaller dedicated listening room has caused me to rethink my entire system. I have always been a fan of EL34 tube amps and presently have a Primaluna HP (4 tubes per channel), but the size and heat make this a bit more difficult in my new set up. So I have been thinking about going with a smaller, less hot class D amp. But being a tube guy, I have never seriously looked into or listen to these amps.
so what is your favorite class D amp? New or used, in the 5k range, but could go up to 10k. Preamp is a Conrad Johnson ET-7. Speaker will be in the monitor/mini-monitor class (so I don’t need high power for a smallish room) but have not made my final decision on speakers as the amp/speaker synergy makes this kind of a joint decision.
I purposely asked for “favorite” to be a bit more open in your relies.
thanks, Bill
- ...
- 122 posts total
the load invariant ones... Basically anything from competent manufacturers. I use a pair of 1ET9040BA Monoblocks from Apollon Audio. This - Apollon Audio Purifi 1ET9040BA Eigentakt Premium Monoblock Amplifier PET1200M |
I’d finalize the speaker decision first because that’ll largely dictate which amps will be suitable to drive them properly. That said, you might consider the Coda S5.5 that’s a Class A amp but supposedly doesn’t get too hot according to owners so worth a look, and it’s not all that big either as amps go. For Class D I’d look at AGD and Atmasphere GaN amps. Hope this helps, and best of luck. |
- 122 posts total