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Power for Pennies.... except when its not

Posted by AbeCollins on April 11, 2022 at 09:55:07:
You make a valid point about Class D "power for pennies". While that is generally true along with fantastic bang for the buck and excellent sound, it doesn't explain the mega-buck audiophile Class D amp. You know, the ones where the manufacturer boasts about applying their own special secret sauce in marketing hype cleverly disguised as technical whitepapers.... so they can bamboozle and charge mega-bucks.

The real heavy lift engineering is done by the Class D module manufacturer, not the amp assembler. Some D module manufacturers even provide ready made switching power supply modules. Stuff these in a pretty case with a little tweak and charge 10 grand. Don't you love it!

If I were to pay near 10 grand (US) and up, I would buy a traditional A or AB amp with a massive power supply from a reputable brand like Pass Labs or similar. But a Class D amp in the 10 grand (US) range? I laugh and shake my head.

I'm running a pair of Class D monoblocks that sound fantastic and are priced around $3K/pair MSRP but I got mine for around $2K direct from manufacture with trade-in.

Class D SHOULD offer fantastic bang for the buck but when some audiophile brands charge mega-bucks for Class D you know they're just gouging the buyer. A pretty case and slick marketing will bamboozle many audio jewelry buyers.