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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

meiatflask
mglik
915 posts
 

I have happily owned AGD Audions and AS Class Ds.

ASs are significantly better. While the AGDs sound beautiful, the ASs have tighter bass, better detail and fuller sound. 
The ASs are as good or better than AS tube amps.

ericrhodes1's avatar
ericrhodes1
125 posts
 

That's a great setup @ted_b 

pokey77
1,272 posts
 

TAD M2500. Been using it for 7+ years and it is really good. Never think at all about changing. I also use the matching C2000 preamp with their E-1 speakers. Endgame for me.

devinplombier
1,181 posts
 

As already indicated, speakers first. There is no point discussing amps before you know what they'll be driving.

woutb
3 posts
 

I recently upgraded to an Allnic tube system, but had also considered SS, including Class D, as they seem to hold a lot of promise to develop into a best-of-breed amplification solution. I enjoyed the following Class D amps:

  • Aavik P580 and P280(at a dealer)
  • Mola Mola Kaluga (at a dealer; note: the newer generation Ossetra just came out)
  • AGD Audion III (at a show)

They all sounded very impressive: incredible dynamics, fast, taut bass, very airy highs, great imaging. No surprise, given the top-tier systems they were a part of. The Aavik set-up, in particular, with Borresen Z5 cryo speakers and all the Ansuz tweaks, was eerily holographic and resolving. I did not audition any of them at home, in my own system, so it's hard to attribute specific contributions to the amps directly.
Perhaps, my key take-away: it seems possible to build a truly state-of-the-art systems around current class D technology. Modern tube and solid state gear qualia seem to be on a convergence path, with newer tube systems offering improved resolution and tighter bass, and newer SS continuously progressing in imaging and tonal riches.
As with all things audio (and music, and life): it all comes down to preferences. I chose Allnic, since its fantastic combination of dynamics, resolution and timbre / tonality really hits my sweet spot. Still, dealing with tubes remains a mixed blessing - the ability to roll them versus the diminished longevity, heat generation, and overall fussiness. At some point, once they offer that intoxicating last morsel of tube timbre, I still hope to build a SOTA Class D-centric system.
 

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