GaN FET Amps vs. Traditional Class D Amps

@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.

@hbarrel post with the Buckeye link is spot on. Gan boys can only compare to older MOSFET tech and are way more expensive than we need these days. The newest tech by Putzeys and others have overcome all their arguments with newer tech. Just try to get a Gan manufacturer to a/b against a well implemented silicon/MOSFET amp. You won't find one willing. 

You won't find one willing.

@ericrhodes1 Pretty sure this statement is false if personal experience is any indication.