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Are Class D Amps scaring the hell out of the BIG Boys ?

45rpmspinner said:
I thought that old saw about Class D amps being digital had been laid to rest long ago.
There is no need for a DAC, there is no "sample rate".
That's CD player, streamer, computer stuff.

The LC filters on output are actually quite simple circuits.
Usually, one cap, one inductor, per channel.

Hypex NCore nc-400's are made entirely of discrete components.
No chips, which is a lot more than can be said for a lot current Class A/B models.
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So, math changed then did It? I thought we were still computing the area under a curve with rectangles ...

As for the filter, it’s still present and required.
 
The fact that one can badly beat an NAD 3020 (for SQ, not features) for $26 these days is really impressive to me. Amplifiers are one area where budget hi-fi has really advanced tremendously.

I can't generalize from this one experience, but it is somewhat related to the topic: Although my Topping chip amp provides a slightly wider soundstage and slightly better separation than an older Marantz 5-channel THX Ultra A/B amp, the lack of sonic edge gives the Marantz the nod for me. Still, the best sound I've heard out of my system is from tubes. But, the reliability isn't there, IME. I haven't tried any class-A amps though - that's next, if I ever have some spare dough again.
 
Class D is not digital -- it's actually more like a modulated switching power supply -- but it does depend on sampling in a manner similar to analog-to-digital conversion. A typical approach (there are many) works by converting the signal level at discrete intervals to a fixed-level, fixed-frequency pulse whose width is proportional to the signal level. The pulse turns on and off the output devices, which switch the speaker drive current via a low-pass filter to reconstruct the original audio signal.

There is no theoretical reason why this should result in any different output from Class A or AB amplification, but in practice there are potential gotchas (see https://www.analog.com/en/analog-dialogue/articles/class-d-audio-amplifiers.html for an excellent general description of Class D, including potential problems) that are being resolved as the technology is improved.
 
invaderzim said:
In reality the class D explosion will likely cause the audio frenzied to forget about Bose and point their hatred at the cheap class D options with "that isn't high end!!!"
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Amazing how so many audiophiles entire identity/self-worth is wrapped up in their stereo. Anything that threatens the specialness that they have assigned to themselves will of course get the Bose treatment.
 
damacman said:
Class D amplifiers are the answer to the question that no audio purist ever asked ...

Research the origin - you may be surprised.
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The origin or the audio amplifier was Thomas Edison trying to get light bulbs to last longer. Does that somehow affect the sound quality from my tube amp?
I'm not sure how the origin of something really matters.
 
I recently tried one of the current crown XLS class D amps that people seem to be really happy with. I wasn't. I gave it a week, running near constantly thinking maybe it needed to burn in . Nope, it didnt beat out my old timey class AB amp. I know this isn't considered a high end amp but crown's corporate resources and economy of scale should be taken into account. As such I dont think there is a NEW amp in that price range that can touch them. I have no idea why all HT receivers haven't gone to D topologies yet. It's coming, and I'm ok with it.
 
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