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

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BIGGER IS BETTER !!!

 

Please note, I'm saying bigger and not expensive !

 

 

For comparison, in the following formula:

 

 

 

 

My fiancé with her lovely cavity resonance chamber:

 

 

Singing in the shower she has air, presence, 3 D, depth and width.  Like in real life...

This is not influenced by love and not different from real live, and of course not a 'nice' welcome distortion.

 

Nostradamus predictions said that by year 2017 a Super Bomb will hit Afghanistan damaging the sense of hearing before year 2025

 

 

 

 

Roch

 

 

 

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52 minutes ago, Jud said:

It does seem a little paradoxical to have a huge honking linear power supply for a switch mode amp why?  Because everyone knows linear is better than switching??

 

Sometimes it's hard to get "switching noise" out of your whole system when you have a Class D power amp., like in some self powered Subs (my case).

 

I don't have "switching noise" when the main speakers are feed by my Class D power amps. Maybe they have LPSU?

 

Roch

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1 hour ago, GUTB said:

Okay so I listened to various class D amps. My impressions:

 

Mola Mola Kaluga:

Very resolving and forceful. Harsh and etched, shallow soundstage. Disappointing. Maybe not a good DAC and speaker combo.

 

Merrill Audio Veritas:

Resolving, wide sound stage, not harsh like the Kaluga. Once again, shallow soundstage.

 

AURALiC Merak:

Inferior to the other class D products I listened to. Not as clear / resolving. Again the room might not have been the greatest.

 

In all fairness, I will point out that 3D sounstaging was rare at AXPONA. I've heard a bunch of very wide soundstage presentations. Plenty of solid images. Depth though was uncommon. 

 

 

 

 

 

Could you list the associated gear with each of those Class D amps you listened?

 

I stopped assisting to audio shows because I found they are more for dealers / factories relations than for customer evaluations.

 

Thanks,

 

Roch

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15 hours ago, Jud said:

 

I think it has as much or more to do with the rooms, how many or few people are around, and the exhibitor's tastes as anything else.  I've heard lots of equipment in too-small rooms, set up to bowl people over with "detail," or both, which gives a hard edge to everything.  Or the equipment can be set up to avoid sounding muffled with a full room, which again gives a too-bright hard edge if the room isn't full.

 

"Everything matters" as @Barrows use to say.

 

Best,

 

Roch

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55 minutes ago, STC said:

 

Unlike the high end amps that can sound very good straight from the box, Crown  needs about 600hours to burn in.  And gradually improve after the 1000th hour.  

 

What brand and type of capacitors have the Crowns that needs a lengthly burn in?

 

Roch

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5 minutes ago, STC said:

 

LOL...didn't you see the

 

I'm sorry, need to change my reading glasses (but I have an appointment with the optometrist next week) 

 

Roch

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2 minutes ago, Superdad said:

 

What could possibly account for that?  Why would this brand of amps take longer to run-in than others?  

 

They use Tempranillo wine inside the caps (instead of oil) 

 

Roch

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4 hours ago, ARX said:

I guess it's no so much about Class D vs. Class A vs. Class A/B etc., but much more about the state of development.

Class D technology is still in it's early stage of development, while Class A (tube or transistor based) has matured.

Similarly to Digital vs. Analog Audio, in the next few years Class D will become at least as good as any other amplifier technology, but more likely: Better.

 

60 years have passed I am still waiting for SS to reach the SQ of the Tubes ...

 

How much more should we expect for class D to reach class AB (forget about class A) ?

First commercial class D amplifier was from 1964 (Sinclair), but the first proposed was in 1958.

 

For my taste, of course...

 

Roch

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On 5/23/2018 at 5:40 PM, ARX said:

It's not that SS isn't better than tubes. From a technical point of view they are about equal, with probably a slight edge to SS with regards to linearity/distortion.

The popularity of tube amps is to a great extent due to their often simple and elegant designs, combined with their seductive sound signature (the harmonics). Provided, components of decent quality are used.

 

Honestly, I don't care about measurements (linearity/distortion), my only need is to please my ears, not yours or those of others.

 

The elegance of the design could be important to me, if the first thing I mentioned is accomplished. But I've had horrible tube amps in sight, but who cares? I almost always listen in the dark and I did not buy them to impress anyone.

 

Leaving this thread now,

 

Roch