Class D Wow!

Xenomorph

Xenomorph

Active Member
Hi people,
I've been given an SMSL SA-S3 amp, it's my first time listening to a class d amp and all I can say is wow! I hooked it up to some Cambridge Audio S30 speakers and the sound is surprisingly (to me) really good.
I know I'm extremely late to the party with my 10 year old amp, so, I'd like to know if they've improved much over 10 years or do the "budget" amps have still more or less the same sound quality?
Thanks.
 
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I have an SA-S3. It is a couple of generations back from the Class D amps that are out today. Today's amps tend to have a lot more power and that really improves their ability to handle bass in particular. The Tripaths run out of juice very quickly on all but the most efficient speakers.

The good news is that the cost of admission to many of these amps is very low and lower than the SA-SA3 was back in the day. It is a good time to be into audio.
 
I run a PS Audio S300 for the fronts in my LR HT system. It drives Totem Hawks and does a really good job when I use that system for 2 ch music. When I bought it I was looking for a set of features and the S300 fit the bill.
 
Hypex and Purifi modules are used in some of the best amps on the market and they test as well as anything ever produced. On the budget end, the latest TPA3251/TPA3255-based amps are inexpensive, sound great and test very well. Topping PA5II and PA7 models test about as well as the Purifi and Hypex units and cost very little for what they offer. Fosi and Aiyima offer units around $100 that test well, sound great, provide plenty of power and have been very well received by listeners.

I owned several chip amps in the past that didn't do that much for me. Last year I bought a Fosi V3 almost on a lark and it shocked me with its price and performance. 90wpc/8Ohms and 150wpc/4Ohms. Genuinely great sound. The V3 has never left my main system. I've owned plenty of traditional Class A and Class AB designs but I'm sold on the performance and value of the latest offerings based on the TPA325X. They're a real paradigm shift. Great sound, small size and weight, prices under $150, plenty of power for most users.
 
Happy with my Class D AVR... Onkyo TX-RZsomething All the AVRs I've had have been Class D for a long time.

It works, sounds OK, doesn't shut down due to pushing the volume.

It's in a crappy room with oddball seating, so how good can it sound in any case?

If my main amp(s) ever die I may look into 2-channel Class D. For now, if it ain't broke...
 
Good sounding class D amps are another example of technology marching forward. Given the original batch of D's, I wouldn't have thought they'd improve so quickly. Imagine, pro-reviewers equating them with good tube gear and sharing some of the same qualities.

Hopefully, battery technology will get to the point where EV's have greater range and green energy producers will be able to more economically store that electricity. That might make a tremendous improvement in everybody's lives.
 
The only one I have experience with is an Audiosource AMP 100. The authority it has in the bass for its small size and how it generates minimal heat in the process is amazing. It sure seems like a bigger and more powerful amp than it’s size would have you believe.
 
Class D does keep getting better not to mention BASH and other similar type amps. I have a couple power amps with Class D amps driving discrete output stages. I don't see them replacing my tube gear yet though.
 
I recently purchased a set of Orchard Audio Starkrimson Mono's (used), and have been incredibly - highly impressed with them. I use them to drive the LFT/Ribbon panels in my Eminent Technology LFT-8C's, so they don't really drive in the deep Bass region (but the LFT-8C's powered woofers do use Class D amps also). Absolute Sound has some pretty accurate reviews on these amps and they've given them some high praise and a couple of top rewards. I was a Class D resistor for many years, but the newer versions sound open, accurate, deeply layered with a BIG soundstage and sweetness I've previously only heard from Class A amps in the SS arena. If you'be not been able to warm-up to Class D previously, Give the newer versions a shot - you may end up being a convert.
 
Fantastic replies, looks like I'm going to have to try a newer class d. I think this is going to be an interesting road to go down :)
 
The one that got all of us on ASR going a few years ago was the Aiyima A07, still a good amp and inexpensive (~$60 depending on power supply). The newer A07 MAX has a different form factor, taper volume pot, vented case, stereo/mono switchability, better binding posts etc. Fosi's V3 has similar attributes to the MAX but without the stereo/mono function. These amps can take up to 48v power supplies but the biggest one I use is a 36v one, still plenty of power for moderate size rooms.

The AIyima and Fosi amps allow op-amp switching if you like, does not seem to me to make a lot of difference but it gives you the option if you want to experiment. Both of them use TI's excellent TPA3255 amp chip. There are other good amps that use the Infineon chip.

Main drawback to some of these little amps is a slight load dependence above about 13,000 hz so with some speakers, they may sound a little bright. They don't to me in my setups, but YMMV. You can always use DSP or an analog equalizer in the chain to adjust if needed.

Buckeye Amps here in the US are doing great simple case Hypex and Purify builds for 2+ channels (prices start at $575) and they are coming out with a new integrated amp series this spring. I don't really need 150wpc stereo so that's why I haven't jumped on one of these yet.

Class D is hopping! We need better input functionality (via a multi-input preamp) to get things going as most of these units are just single RCA or single XLR inputs.
 
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