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a small observation regarding class-D amplifiers

only a few years ago I remember reading raving reviews of Tripath (marketing term class-T) amplifiers, with the words something like 'it sounds like neither solid or tubed'). More forward a few years. Here is another review: "I've thought I've liked Tripath, but after listening IcePower xxx brand, I've realized what a piece of kaka that Tripath-based amplifier was". OK. Let's move forward a bit. Another quote: "I've thought I've liked IcePower based amplifiers but after listening NuForce class D amps, I've realized that those are Nuforce amps I like the most'.

So what's going on. I think, class D technology is still in a state of flux and it is slowly reaching the maturity but not quite there yet. Granted, PWM is nothing trivial to accmplish. Chopping the analog signal into pieces at the very high frequency does take some engineering ingenuity. In addition seems like there is a host of other problems class D amplifier has to deal with, like implementing a feedback. IcePower did something in this respect, and apparently NuForce did something different. or Hypex-based amps.

So this is my two cents opinion: "Neither solid nor tubed" as I understand simply means the class D amp under review still distorts the sound, yet because those distortions are something radically different, not the kind of distortions we got used to when we listen either solid state or tubes, that the reviewers fail to identify them as distortions. Till they become familiar with the next, improved version of class D type amp. And it goes on and on. Certainly there is a progress, and yet I'm looking forward reading the review *without* this catch phrase "It sounds neither solid nor tubed".

(Footnote: by 'reading the review' I don't mean reading the review in Stereophile of some $150,000 class D amplifier and having Stereophile reviewers so impressed that they assign it class A+++.)


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Topic - a small observation regarding class-D amplifiers - porky_pig_jr 20:19:39 05/14/05 (17)


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