computer audiophile on the cheap Class D amplifiers, can a chip sound as good as a regular amplifier?

[Ajax]

On 15/04/2017 at 8:38 PM, Jud said:

 

Only "side" I might join is the one with the good music.

 

Couple decades ago in Canada, law firm ski trip:

 

Lisa: Why are we getting on the smoking bus?  You don't smoke.

 

Me: They have a better party.

 

Very funny Jud - and also very true.

 

[Ajax]

9 hours ago, rikard said:

As an actual owner of a Hypex NCore NC500 based Nord One dual mono amplifier I can chime in that it's probably one of the most cost efficient things I've ever bought. I was looking at upgrading to a quite expensive integrated amp costing many times more, but then I was hooked by the 100+ pages Nord thread in another forum (starting with audio and ends with a sharp toothed fish), I read it with excitement from start to finish and just couldn't resist doing an "experiment".

 

 

+1

I also read that thread and purchased the Nord One Up NC500 in Stereo format with Sonic Imagery 994 op amp (about US$2k including shipping) and have been very happy with it driving my ATC SCM19 speakers. FYI Colin believes there is no difference in sound quality between the stereo and mono versions and it saves you around US$120 with one less box.

 

Like bigbob (and most at CA) I enjoy experimenting with what's available for the least amount of money and although the Nord is outside his budget IMO it delivers a very neutral sound with great transparency and amazing specs and power for the price.

 

As a total contradiction I have also just purchased a 20 year old re-capped Parasound HCA-1206 power amplifier (US$700 secondhand), which is a 6 channel bridgeable John Curl design. Weighing a massive 71ibs (32kg) I'm having trouble working out how to get it from Perth to Sydney, a distance of 2500miles (4000kms). I plan to incorporate it into a home theatre system with an Emotive UMC200 as the processor (US$300 also second hand). Not sure what I was thinking buying this beast instead of a new multichannel lightweight D class amp, which would have been much more practical, but I saw it on eBay and read up on Mr Curl and decided it would be fun to have a classic "vintage" amp.