Suggestions for a Class D integrated amplifier

[Ralf11]

it would be instructive to have the dates of each of those Quotes

[Supperconductor]

18 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

it would be instructive to have the dates of each of those Quotes

What does it matter? After buying lots of stuff that I didn't wind up liking, I learned to trust my own hearing. Some people have an ax to grind, and it's truly hilarious when they keep posting the same rants in multiple forums/threads.

[STC]

Unlike Class A or AB, Class D is protected with patent rights. It is not cheap to manufacture the chips. Right now, I can only think of NCore chips are available for others. Crown's Drivecore is not available to others. I am not sure about other class D manufacturers but it looks like the development of Class D is an expensive venture.

 

Unless, the persons quoted above could show exactly which Class D amplifier they compared with, I would consider their statement as marketing puff. 

[GUTB]

Someone suggested I made it up. As it turns out, I didn't. I seem to hurt some people's feelings -- including mine; there's a bunch of affordable class D products aimed at audiophiles but knowing that they are inherently inferior means I have to constantly remind myself that I should consider them off the table. 

[STC]

36 minutes ago, GUTB said:

 

Someone suggested I made it up. As it turns out, I didn't. I seem to hurt some people's feelings -- including mine

 

 

I too have feelings. I too have spent several decades trying to get best sound as possible. I know Class D amps can sound good too. How come that doesn't count for anything?

[Matias]

Wyred 4 Sound STI v2 integrated, based on ICEpower ASX2 ($2,499). Highly recommended.

 

https://wyred4sound.com/products/integrated-amps/sti-v2-series

[Sam Lord]

On 6/7/2017 at 8:48 PM, STC said:

Unlike Class A or AB, Class D is protected with patent rights. It is not cheap to manufacture the chips. Right now, I can only think of NCore chips are available for others. Crown's Drivecore is not available to others. I am not sure about other class D manufacturers but it looks like the development of Class D is an expensive venture.

 

Unless, the persons quoted above could show exactly which Class D amplifier they compared with, I would consider their statement as marketing puff. 

 

Agreed, just a correction: nCores do not have proprietary chips, though several types use off-the-shelf IC opamps and logic.  But the circuit and physical layout have legal protection of some type.

[Matias]

I understand that class D is also a lot more complex for an engineer to develop from scratch than "regular" class A and A/B. Unless he sources it OEM from the known names (Icepower, Hypex, Tripath, TI).

[m5sime]

5 minutes ago, Matias said:

I understand that class D is also a lot more complex for an engineer to develop from scratch than "regular" class A and A/B. Unless he sources it OEM from the known names (Icepower, Hypex, Tripath, TI).

I believe so. I recall Bruno Putzey describing how even the component and PCB track layout was critical to performance and stability. That is why it must be a black art to both make a great amplifier and especially one that sounds good. 

[STC]

Always be cautious, when new technology is criticized. If you look at DriveCore chip of Crown amplifiers where the converted 500 parts into a penny size chip and specially custom made for Crown only by TI. 

 

I doubt whether other Class A or AB manufacturers could undertake such approach. 

[Ceejay]

This is actually my neighbour, next to my repairshop:

 

https://internetofmusic.nl/

 

He changed from a raspberry-pi based solution to the chromecast. Nice amps and pretty affordable.

[Matias]

Fortunately 6moons site has plenty of class D reviews from different brands. They are very helpful. Specially because they compare the unit under review against traditional amplifiers and other class D amps to get a baseline.