Expensive amp or cheap classdaudio?


My four last amps in the order have been: Ayon triton II, still in function,Airtight ATM2, Audioresearch classic60, Threshold 400A.
Last sept. i bought a small classdaudio sds470 amp of $590 for my daughter and decided to test it with my Duntech Prince speakers.

Wow...what a big surprise! this small amp for DIYers has a high end sound....
If i hide which amp is operating, my golden eared friends could not realize that this is the small amp which is connected....incredible!
Two audiophile friends immediately bought one by internet,one for Tannoy the other one for Cabasse speakers and both are surprised that the sound is sooo better than with their former amp.
I am not anymore sure that well have to go on paying a lot to get a pure and transparent sounding amp..did you make a similar experience?
Sorry for my english but i am a frenchie talking from France.
maxitonus
A very short note about digital amps:
As they become more popular they become to sound better by consumer's perception.
In reality having a Sunfire SRA model built in 2004 and comparing it with later class D models found no substantial performance difference. Another words couldn't say which one is definitely better.
I love my Nuforce Reference 9 V3SE's, and find them better in many ways than more expensive and heavier (in weight and cost) amps. The comments about cleaner,clearer, and quicker, with excellent bass dynamics and control are spot on. Also leaving them on all the time at 2 watts idle allows near instant listening. Many friends with great ears also agree and have traded high dollar stuff and kept these. But there is a substantial psychological barrier that heavier, more expensive and more inconvenient must equal better sound. Also greater attention needs to be paid to vibration and clean power with these light weight designs.
If you want to learn more about classdaudio, notably how it compares to a W4S amp, i suggest you to go on the audiocircle website,tapewrite " classdaudio" then go to the thread "120w.classD amp 175$" ,160 pages of tests and comparisons.

At home, it compares fully to my AYON TRITON II,extreme transparency,black silent background,extremely wide and deep scene,any very small mod of my system immediately audible,no need for a preamp, directly connected to my Weiss DAC2,tuby sound, no lack in high frequencies under the condition of a good choice for interconnects and ls cables ( low capacitance litz, unshielded)
The use of a mains cable made in litz wire instead of the standard one led to a very slight improvement in definition.

This amp is a pure bargain and those who believe this is a kind of compromise or only a good quality on price ratio are not right,this amp is so good that if you come to my home ,yu'll think this is a great named amp which is making music.
Thanks to all who have posted responses. I didn't start the thread. Just thanking all of you who successfully got me interested in further research on this subject! A bit of audio purchase angst has returned! Oh boy.......You all provided much appreciated user information which I what I pay close attention to. Onward...! :) Happy Holidays!