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In Reply to: RE: The beginning. posted by muralman1 on June 05, 2007 at 13:28:25
The market was a very different when I hit the scene in the 2002 time-frame. When I set sail to venture into hi-fi waters, it became instantly clear that there was only so far one could go on a budget. I ended up with a vintage Carver amplifier that was built the same year I was born (1982). And so it was at the time; the old adage of “if you want a lot- you’re going to have to pay a lot” was echoed by every audiophile in every community I happened across. Unless you wore a member’s only jacket which celebrated the low power/efficient speaker approach – you were stuck with the often hunkering, heavy, hot, and economically wasteful amplifiers. The killer of it all is that if you either wanted to jam out or owned speakers with low impedance dips – things could get pricey very quick.
Then entered class D – a topology that has existed for nearly twenty years in the professional world that had finally crossed bounds into home audio territory – albeit in un-assuming form (notably the Griffin Power Wave and the Sonic Impact “T” battery powered amplifier). These outright *cheap* products caught many experienced ears by surprise, and consequently – word of these black magic pieces quickly reached far and wide to the corners of every audio circle. People all around were suddenly selling off their expensive and highly acclaimed audio toys in favor for these pieces that were never even built with the intent of delivering quality play-back! And the waves of product just kept on coming, in the form of inexpensive receivers (notably from JVC and Panasonic).
Naturally curious – I tried out a 30 wpc Teac amplifier which used the Tripath transistors – and absolutely loved what I heard. At the time, a few virtual stores were closing out the piece for only $99 bucks plus shipping. I compared it directly to the well established and formidable transistor amplifiers which retailed up to $2000 – and none could embarrass this mostly plastic el-cheapo amp. Some people are afraid of change – but if this is what change is, than I say – bring it on!
All the sudden, you had a cheap transistor that;
- Did not require heavy heat-sinks to stay cool and in fact, needed little to no ventilation at all – allowing extreme ergonomic versatility, longer life-span, lighter weight
- Did not require a mammoth sized power supply to deliver strong sound and control, as the class D transistors naturally had amazingly high damping factor
- Could naturally deliver tons of detail and over-all clean/balanced sound
- Amazingly efficient on its power draw/delivery – hovering in the unbelievable 90% range
- And to top it all off – cost FAR less than their class A/B transistor counterparts.
All of the sudden, and seemingly over-night, the old adage mentioned above was discarded. The ball-game changed, and no one saw it coming. And for awhile, it was good.
But hype is always two-fold, as is anything else in this hobby. Throw in the uncertain elements of individual human expectation, taste, bias, objectivity and mix it together with the often misunderstood world of audio that hinge both on intelligent system planning and a bit of luck – and you’re certain to never get one harmonization of voices on one particular subject, let alone piece of gear.
The problem is always the same thing; people that feel they can run out and buy a piece of equipment with the expectation that it should deliver the performance they read about with little knowledge of how that piece even works, in class D’s case – what distinct differences there are between UCD, NuForce, ICE, Tripath, etc.. what type of sources they match with best, what speakers, and desired output. For example; throw NuForce on a pair of Dynaudio speakers and you may be happy like a pig in sh!t. Throw that same amp on a pair of speakers from Totem Acoustic and you may be running for the hills.
Usually the biggest critics of class D amplifiers fall within two different categories. Those people who never experienced what they are capable of despite owning a number of pieces – and those who typically favor the harmonic richness and blossom usually found in vacuum tubes, SETs, and class A transistors. I believe it would help everyone out if they dropped the expectation of any current production class D amplifier to sound like tubes.
I’ve heard class D sound cut and dry, and I’ve heard it sound as emotional as reputable SET’s, I’ve heard it sound clean and powerful, I’ve heard it sound weak and lose, I’ve heard it sound exciting and musical – I’ve also heard it sound clinical and dull. Come to think of it, I can say that about every topology I’ve come across through the years.
What’s this mean? It means to do some research and find out what may match your system best. The most basic tips I can give is; If you have a pair of speakers with low impedance dips and demands high damping power – 100 wpc ICE, NuForce, and UCD will get the job done. If you want it forward, go NuForce - if you want it mid-hall, go UCD or ICE. If you have moderately efficient speakers and like a more intimate presentation, low powered tripath may be for you. Experiment around with pre amplifiers and more importantly; your source. Class D, more than any other topology, is critical on the source. If you want a warm sound but have a clinical/accurate CD player – it’s not the amp that’s your problem!
Good luck and happy listening.
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