Class D - A Fork in the Road

although I think you misunderstood some of my post

@ericrhodes1 I'd be interested in knowing what it was I misunderstood. For example, do you know of a GaNFET amp that is made in China and sold by a Chinese company? Or is that an example of something I misunderstood?

OK, so I've come to the conclusion from all the responses that it's not the type of tech, but rather the implementation of the design. So that would mean to me that they're pretty much the same sounding if designed by competent people.

@koestner This is no more the case than it is with conventional amps. You are probably aware that harmonic distortion is something all amps make. Further, you are probably aware that our ears use harmonics to tell the difference between sounds, like the difference between a trumpet and a violin. 

When an amplifier makes distortion, the harmonics it makes ride on the waveform and are visible on an oscilloscope. So they are readily available to the ear as something that can be interpreted as a tonality.

This is why tube amps are known for their smooth sound (and are still around, despite being declared 'obsolete' 60 years ago...) and is also why some solid state amps have a reputation for being bright and harsh (which is part of why tubes are still in business). 

So even though quite competently designed, you can still hear differences. If the designer is aware of how important the harmonic spectrum generated by the amplifier is, he might thus design the amp to not make objectionable distortions (such as higher ordered harmonics, which can cause an amp to sound harsh and bright if they are not masked). 

Well that can of course be true when comparing say a 300B tube amp and a decent SS amp. Those harmonic distortions give the amps their signature sound, but in the case of these 2 types of Class D (GaNFET and Purifi Eigentakt) where each of the amps are designed to have the lowest possible distortion percents, including harmonics, I would think they would sound somewhat similar.

in the case of these 2 types of Class D (GaNFET and Purifi Eigentakt) where each of the amps are designed to have the lowest possible distortion percents, including harmonics, I would think they would sound somewhat similar.

@koestner I'm sure they will- of course more similar than not. You'd have to compare them to know what the difference is about. 

Ralph, yes that's why I started this thread. I was hoping someone had compared both types and had an opinion. However the only answers I got back were 1. They're very similar, and 2. You have to do this yourself. That's probably the only 2 true answers there are. I'm not sure which way to go now as I can't purchase both and send one back. I'm not the kind of guy to buy something knowing that one of them is being returned. I just don't think it's fair to the company. Also I don't think I could make a proper judgement in just a 2 week trial. Perhaps I should change my research to features and looks.

Yes @atmasphere that is a perfect example of where you misunderstood. I was saying that comparing GANFET'S to regular silicon D amps such as those from China and the lower tier Western silicon based D's is disingenuous. They should be compared to the top tier silicon based D amps. But they never are. There. Was that spelled out better?