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

I am very happy with Marantz SACD30n and the Marantz Model 30 which is class D

My opinion is not wide on Class D, but I did have the chance to A/B a TEAC AP 701.  I had it drive a set of Harbeth 40.3XD’s and my TAD ME1-k’s.  Swapped in Pass Labs XA100.5’s, XA160.8’s and a set of Luxman M-10x’s.  I was shocked at how well it performed across those variables.  There certainly was a difference, but for the price point, it performed quite well.  I will say the XA100.5’s begin to peter out on the Harbeth’s, where the TEAC outpaced it at higher volumes.  

 

aimosphere quote is TOTALLY BOGUS! Distortion is 1% at full power out. Spec is at bottom of page. His quote below.

atmasphere’s avatar

atmasphere

12,294 posts

 

"@jimbennet If you think it sounds as good or measures as well you’re fooling yourself. Look up the specs on the chip it uses and you’ll see: 10% THD at full power. From Texas Instruments data sheet on the TPA3255".

Spec:

Total Output Power at 1%THD+N

– 260-W Stereo into 4 Ωin BTL Configuration

– 150-W Stereo into 8 Ωin BTL Configuration

– 480-W Mono into 2 Ωin PBTL Configuration

Ya, it does sound good! What is the bad news is he has never heard the amp and the Muses02 op-amp upgrade increases performance. Disgusting post folks as he never heard the amp...

@jimbennet - 

Two things, one, your tone really is not conducive to friendly updates and constructive replies.  Second, let me quote directly from the TPA 3255-Q1 data  sheet: 

 

TPA3255-Q1 is a high performance class-D power
amplifier that enables true premium sound quality
with class-D efficiency. It features an advanced
integrated feedback design and proprietary high-
speed gate driver error correction (PurePath™ Ultra-
HD). This technology allows ultra low distortion
across the audio band and superior audio quality.
The device is operated in AD-mode, and can drive up
to 2 x 315 W into 4-Ω load at 10% THD 

For those interested, I recommend a video just posted on YouTube by Audioholic concerning How Class D works and the current state of its progress. His videos are generally instructive, and I think anyone interested in Class D would find it worthwhile. His conclusions might challenge some of our stereotypes, but that's a good thing.