2026 best deal in audiophile class D stereo amp?

Check out the Bel Canto REF501s stereo amp (200 wpc at 8ohms, 400wpc at 4 ohms). Excellent amp, dead quiet and weighs 12 pounds. Price is $2495 but I got one under $2k as a demo unit online. Good luck!

I’m a tube guy (SET amps) ….. $1k to $2k range. 

If substituting for SET amps, sonics will have to be above the lowest cost Class D amps reaching for the level of Atma-Sphere Class D (established excellent tube Amp Designer, and gracious Agon contributor) or FirstWatt (amp designer legend Nelson Pass)- both above the OP’s budget.

So yes, there may be a satisfying Class D to replace SET, but at 1-2k budget it’s doubtful you’ll get there.

@lardawg +1

The M700s make my Maggies sing. I’m delighted with the super quiet black background and tons of details. I can no longer chuck around 50# amps. The M700s are manageable weight wise and seem to be very well built. Around $2k used at The Music Room.

@gents, I know exactly what you mean.

How do the Hypex Nilai 500 amplifiers compare to other high performance amplifiers?

Within the category of high current capacity solid state amplifiers, it's generally true that the more expensive you go the better the audio experience, however, there are diminishing returns as you hit the extreme edge of price.
We have facilitated testing and listening to a variety of amplifiers, mostly Class AB. We have discovered that most amplifiers today sound pretty darn good. In our last amplifier shootout at Deer Creek Audio, we compared 7 amplifiers including the Nilai 500. The Nilai 500 measured better than all, however it came out second in the listening comparison to a $32,000 Ayre. What set the top two apart from the more common amplifiers was a smooth neutrality with superior imaging and layering.
Having said all that, we think going with the Nilai 500 will bring you happily into the ultra-high end amplifier world.

@kennyc so have you auditioned some of the other popular class D amps being suggested here?  (Class D audio, Buckeye, PS Audio, Laiv)  Or are you basing this on reviews?   The Atma-Shpere are very highly regarded and there is a used pair on audiomart... but there is also a Class D Audio GanFet 2 channel for a quarter the price.  I wonder if I could really hear the difference.