I have a pair of the AS Class D amps and am very pleased with the sound. My other amp is a SET 45 and I give the AS credit for a very smooth and tube-like sound. New is well within your price range and everyone probably knows, Ralph is a great guy.
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
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@reavesdc I have them paired with VSA Ultra-55s. I haven't tried any tubes. I find them to be very detailed but without bitterness. Very powerful too - they scream in my rig while drawing around 15w. |
I went through a series of Class D's over the years, from ICE through Hypex to Purifi. Had a chance to borrow a pair of Benchmark AHB2 for a couple weeks and sold the last Purifi after that. Like the person who posted above, the buddy who lent me the Benchmarks uses Atma-Spheres to heat his listening room in winter. Burnt my arm once on them while trying to reach behind to move a cable. |
I moved from Primaluna HP to Bel Canto's 600's and did not like the end result. In my system / room music had no life. I really tried to make it work but after 8 months I sold and started over. I moved from Bel Canto to AGD Audion. Everything was back, sound stage, warmth, with a llittle increease in detail, light weight and little to no heat. All in all it was exactly what I was lookng for. Like @marco1 I use a tube pre - Cary SLP 05. I've never heard Atma-Sphere Class D but, from my perspective, AGD and Atma-Sphere is where I would focus. I would not heistate to buy used but I rarely see either amp for sale used; may say something! Good luck with your search! |
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