GaN FET Amps vs. Traditional Class D Amps

@mapman Thanks for the link. I am not able to discern if the amp supports having RCA and XLR connected at the same time. I need a switch to toggle between 2 sources since 1 source will always be on.

I am going to be try and sell the best amp I ever owned to buy the second-best DAC I have heard, the Meitner MA3i. I am listening to the DAC now and unfortunately it is a rather big improvement over my cheaper Schitt Byggy DAC.

I always have the Schiit Wotan amp that I can buy again but I wanted to see if there is a GAN or Purifi solution to consider.

@yyzsantabarbara I’d send an email to the vendor to inquire about that. 
 

I use XLR in from Schiit Freya.  Source DAC is Topping d90III Sabre xlr out to Schiit. Also have phono source using Denon DL103R cart via step up x former. 
 

This is a very revealing yet musical combo. I run to both KEF ls50 meta + powered sub in a smaller room and Ohm Walsh F5 series 3 speakers in adjacent larger room.

@yyzsantabarbara check out Nord Acoustics

https://nordacoustics.co.uk/product/nord-three-1et9040ba-mb-mkii-mono-block-power-amplifier/

Excellent power and sound by Eigentakt, rollable op amps class a front end, and it'll save you a bundle. 

Thanks for the suggestions, better than ChatGPT.

Here is a response from Tom at Class Audio

 

Keep in mind that a large part of our customer base use Magnepan speakers. Our amps really excel with them. Our older amps had a switch for RCA and XLR but this design it is not needed. If you haven't read yet, please read our customer reviews here to see how our amps compare to others...

Having stumbled upon this... 

I've been running a HiFi Rose RS520 for about a year now.  I got a really great deal that I couldn't pass up on a slightly used unit. 

They say its Class AD which is really a Class D GanFET that does 250wpc at 8 or 4 ohm. (In testing the amp does over 340wpc at 4 ohm ) 

I wanted an AIO to keep things simple, but with AIOs you have to make a few compromises.  

In terms of sound. Its neutral in terms of the amp, although the ESS Dac could be considered 'brighter than neutral'.  

I've been looking at GaN amps because I wanted something that could be always on and not heat the house. So that meant Class D over anything else. 

In terms of the cheap chifi I'd say Douk / Ampapa has the best sound, and built to allow for op-amp swapping.  I tested the Douk A5 Pro and it sounded great for the price but bright when compared to the RS520.  

I've seen the Purifi  amps, and they are really good.  Its a question of what does the input buffer look like. 

If you're looking at GaN, Look at Orchard Audio.  Leo now has a plate amp and also an upgrade board to allow for op-amp swapping. 

His amps are also fairly fast switching. Over 1mHz . 

I don't think you can go wrong w either a high end GaN or a Purifi based amp.  It depends on what you want to do. 
 

Also remember that what you hear is a sum of the components. Plus you.