GaN FET Amps vs. Traditional Class D Amps

@mitch2 

I suspect that is a marketing thing as they desperately want to say, “these amps sound as good or better than Class A!”

I think its worth it to compare if you can! I ran class A triode OTLs which my class D amps replaced and I've not looked back. So not just class A, but triode as well...

@atmasphere - If I could get by with 100 wpc, I would give them a try but with my speakers at 86dB sensitivity and 4 ohms nominal - 3 ohms min, it just wouldn’t work.  The 400wpc NC1200s drove them fine and while those amps were quiet, warm’ish, had pretty good tone, and were solid in the lower frequencies, they also sounded overdamped, homogenized in the upper frequencies, and overall a bit dry. They just didn’t display the level of expression or allow the emotional engagement that I heard from my Clayton M300s, Lamm M1.2s, or my current SMc Audio monos, or even from the Cary CAD-500MB monos I currently use for my outdoor system.

@mitch2 Our class Ds clip at 250 Watts into 4 Ohms FWIW. We rate them at 200 Watts. 

I went GaN and never looked back. I have 2 systems in my home, 1 using Gold Note PA-10 GaNfet amplifiers in bridged mode, 300Watt @ 8Ω, 600Watt @ 4Ω in mono mode.

I also have a Canor AI 2.10 Hybrid class D. 

Nevertheless, the ‘D’ designation, in this case, does not refer to its’ true operational classification. The Canor A 2.10 power supply is mixed with a traditional linear power supply and so it consists of both a digital switching power unit as well as a conventional linear one. The amplifier’s power output is rated at 150 Wpc which is specified into a 4 Ohm load. At 8 ohms were talking about a hefty 100 or more average watts per channel!

If you’ve been reading The Sound Advocates reviews on Class D amplification, you’re probably aware of many excellent units we have heard over the years. Indeed, I have argued and evaluated how these amplifiers have now truly come into their own as to their exalted sound quality, in most cases. As we approach A1 2.10, we have the well-known Hypex power unit in Class D powered by a filtered and tuned linear power supply.