Post by Owen Y on May 19, 2020 15:07:30 GMT 12
An example of some of the 'big players' employing Class-D technology in their amplification products - the new PS AUDIO Stellar Strata Integrated Amplifier: " a cutting edge DAC, full-featured analog preamplifier, high-definition streaming module, and a robust 200 watt per channel power amplifier... just add speakers (or headphones) " ( PS AUDIO Steller Strata webpage) Size - 432W x 305D x 76H mm Weight - 9.5kgs MSRP - US$2999 I believe ( according to THE ABSOLUTE SOUND & others) that PS AUDIO's Stellar range of amplifiers employ analogue SS circuits with Class-D 'ICE' output stages. Some advantages of Class-D: - High 'efficiency', ie. high power output, low power consumption, low heat dissipation (no big heatsinks), small PSU. - Compact, light weight. - (Relatively) low cost.  
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Post by Owen Y on May 19, 2020 15:39:44 GMT 12
Costing a little more serious money, another big-name brand Class-D amplifier design is the PRIMARE A35.2 power amplifier: Power output - 2 x 200W 8 ohms / 2 x 400W 4 ohms Weight - 11.7 Kg Size - 430W x 400D x 145H mm Price - US$3495 STEREOPHILE's Herb Reihert is impressed, confused even, but not completely won over: " the Primare A35.2 amplifier reminded me that there still is no such thing as a perfect, one-size-fits-all amplifier... Some, like the Primare A35.2, have high-toned manners, can dance the latest dance, and sometimes even order fine wine. Which reminds me: I never actually drank that Château Margaux. " 
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Post by jon on May 19, 2020 21:19:13 GMT 12
I have 3 of these driving my speakers...
Lots cheaper compared to those. 
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Post by Owen Y on May 20, 2020 17:39:44 GMT 12
Ha! In a different league, no?
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Post by jon on May 20, 2020 19:08:11 GMT 12
Very probably, not having heard any other t-amps. However they are surprisingly good.
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Post by Owen Y on May 20, 2020 20:33:31 GMT 12
Maybe something like this:  GHENT AUDIO GA-S125P Stereo Power Amplifier - 125W x 2ch @ 4ohms - utilising well-proven & highly regarded (Danish) ICEpower Class-D technology (as PS Audio above). - US$650 + free expedited shipping (from Shanghai, China). - One month free home trial, two years warranty. Also higher power models: - 250W x 2ch @ 4ohms - US$999 - 500W x 2ch @ 4ohms - US$1350
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Post by Owen Y on May 20, 2020 20:55:50 GMT 12
Or, similarly well-proven HYPEX Class-D technology - eg. HYPEX NC400 mono power amp, in kit form for those DIY-inclined.. - 1 x 400 watts at 4 ohms - Euro 575 excl VAT. - Netherlands-based.  (See also Amplifier kits forum page. )
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Post by michaelw on May 21, 2020 11:05:04 GMT 12
hobbyists have been playing with cheapo T amps for ages ?
class D has been chasing greatness since forever ?
i recall the jeff rowlands i reviewed varied from so-so to excellent.
rotels i've heard have always been second to their AB amps.
at $3k that ps audio has a lot of conventional competition.
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Post by Owen Y on May 22, 2020 20:44:45 GMT 12
" Class-D technology continues to improve & evolve... it's getting better & better & better. " (PS AUDIO's Paul McGown)
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Member
Post by simon on May 25, 2020 10:46:12 GMT 12
I used to have a Plinius SA100 then bought a Nuprime ST-10 [d class] and to my ears it was a step up . I have now have a Nuprime MCX-1 TDSS upgraded amp that is another 3 or 4 steps up , it has a huge amount of power . I probably do not have very good ears , I do not even have a turntable ,I rip CDs to a Antipodes server
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Post by Owen Y on May 25, 2020 12:34:04 GMT 12
NuPrime is interesting.... Founded in Taiwan, designed & made in Taiwan. NuPrime on pricing: " We don’t price a unit based on how good it sounds within our own product line or compared with the competition. We are an engineering company plain and simple. We don’t price our amps based on weight or workmanship. We price our products based on cost. Over time costs come down due to innovations and performance advances. " On the competition: " Unlike ICEpower or Hypex, we are not in the business of making high-volume modules at low cost. " On NuPrime's amplifier technology: - High Bandwidth, flat from 20Hz-50kHz - "vast soundstage, accurate spatial information".
- Extremely high Damping Factor of ~400 - 'lightning fast dynamics".
- Ultra low Distortion & noise - "at every output level & audio frequency".
- No Phase Shift - "for accurate spatial information...delicate details and nuances intact.... Zero Phase Shift across all frequencies"
(See - NuPrime website)  NuPrime MCX-1 power amplifier - 1 x 750Wrms @ 8 ohms ! NZ$2350 ea - Totally Wired, Dunedin.
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Post by michaelw on May 25, 2020 13:55:00 GMT 12
so much power for not a lot of money
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Pundit
Post by Mike A on Sept 2, 2020 9:27:39 GMT 12
Well I took a chance and ordered a NuPrime MCX-2 from Totally Wired last week, it arrived yesterday afternoon and thunderous bass and effortless power was the first impression.
It is taking a bit of time to burn in but there was a noticable difference after 8 hours listening last night.
By the time I turned everything off and went to bed I had discovered it could do subtlety too.
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Post by Owen Y on Sept 2, 2020 10:17:12 GMT 12
Buying local 
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Pundit
Post by Mike A on Sept 2, 2020 18:32:24 GMT 12
I always buy local if I can 
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Post by Owen Y on Sept 25, 2020 12:31:46 GMT 12
I see that the new MARANTZ Model 30 integrated amplifier (100Wpc @ 8Ω, 200Wpc @ 4Ω, US$2500) contains 2 x Hypex NC500 Class-D modules, together with an analogue preamp section. MARANTZ and DENON were merged in 2002 to form D+M Group & in 2017, they were acquired by California-based SOUND UNITED (which includes Definitive Technology, Classé, Polk). Hence I guess, the 'fresh styling' to differentiate from the DENON brand. What would Ken think about all this?   
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Post by michaelw on Sept 25, 2020 13:54:08 GMT 12
haha there was no mention of hypex in the original press releases. repeating the way they announced the big pm10 integrated amp.
and the ki- ruby amp.
almost as if marantz don't want people to know they are using hypex tech...
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Post by Owen Y on Sept 25, 2020 16:03:21 GMT 12
Yes Marantz refer only to 'switching power amplifier' & 'SMPS' PSU for the power amp section/s.
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Pundit
Post by cartridge on Sept 25, 2020 20:00:51 GMT 12
I missed the Class D aspect in their press release too...
I'm guessing the Yanks weren't confident that they could woo the Marantz faithful with their new approach.
It does make a LOT of sense to me though, BUT there are certain market segments that simply aren't ready (and probably never will be ) to change.
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Post by Owen Y on Sept 27, 2020 15:58:18 GMT 12
The LINN Majik DSM 'super-integrated' amplifier (£2950 / NZ$6600) outputs 100Wpc from 2 x Class-D power amplifiers. Also features wireless streaming & built-in MM phono stage.  " The sonics push this to the top of the pile of one-box does-it-all devices (or at least at the top of the pile that doesn’t cost as much as a decent second-hand car)... " ( HI-Fi+, 6 Aug '20)
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Member
Post by chilli on Oct 9, 2020 20:22:00 GMT 12
Interesting release on the Marantz lot.
I've been using some nc500 as my evening TV amps for a while. They sound very good. But they sound a lot better when I feed it a higher voltage output from the dac. I think it has a higher input sensitivity than say their nc122mp.
I have a couple of 122mp that I bought with them on a trademe purchase some time ago. Not sure what I'll do with them. Perhaps use them on the HT amp? Then I'd have to buy a heap of new cables. Perhaps more likely to use them on a speaker project in the future.
I think Class D arrived around the time hypex brought out their ucd amps and then improved with the ncore series.
The breakaway group of purifi have apparently improved on it and using GaNFet tech. There are probably only a handful of GaNFet amps out at the moment, but the tech is ubiquitous with quality cellphone chargers coming out of China these days. I did hear GaO will do several times better again. But... At which point will we really hear a difference? The jury is still out.
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Post by Owen Y on Feb 16, 2021 19:22:07 GMT 12
I see that THE ABSOLUTE SOUND (12 Feb '21) has awarded the ROGUE AUDIO DRAGON amplifier - one of their two 2020 Product of the Year Awards for Solid-State Power Amplifiers. In fact it is a hybrid vacuum tube/Class D amplifier, with 300/500Wpc (8/4 Ohms) output. Price - US$3995 " Perhaps surprisingly, given its tremendous power, it also elicits a near-granular level of finesse and clarity from instruments at the back of the stage. " " Not just another high-powered beast, Dragon is truly a splendid and easily attainable amplifier that will proudly grace any system. "   See also - the ROGUE AUDIO Sphinx tube / Class D integrated amplifier.
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Post by foveaux on Feb 17, 2021 8:53:28 GMT 12
CLASS-D amplification - coming of age? I think yes, undeniably so. Yesterday I spent 45mins listening to a NAD C 388. Digital set-up (Tidal > C 388 with Bluos module > Textone), and it sounded fine. As it should @ Amp $3k + Module $1k    NAD has moved away from the old-fashioned power-hungry linear power supplies and Class AB output stages that waste nearly half of the energy consumed and produce heat rather than sound. Instead, we have developed even better performing circuits based on switch mode power supplies and Class D output stages. Once thought to be inferior to traditional topologies, NAD’s advanced work in this area has created some of the best performing amplifiers regardless of basic design principle. These new designs are very linear over a wide bandwidth and provide consistent performance into all speaker loads, providing a dramatic advance over previous models. The power supply is capable of 150 watts continuously and over 250 watts instantaneously to allow for short-term musical transients. It can operate with any AC mains voltage from 100 to 240 volts and provides pure DC power to all the various stages of the C 388. This highly efficient supply also provides near perfect regulation of voltage across a wide range of conditions and provides a solid noise-free foundation for the amplifying stages. The C 388 uses a customized version of the proven Hypex UcD output stage operating in a fully balanced bridge configuration. This allows for massive power with nearly immeasurable distortion and noise in the audible range. Every detail of this design has been carefully planned and perfectly executed to produce out every last drop of performance.
"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]
"Free - I miss that band, but when I look back, we were very young" [Paul Rodgers]
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Pundit
Post by peter0c on Feb 17, 2021 10:36:52 GMT 12
If coming of age for Class D amps simply means that we have a choice of two power modules (ICE and HYPEX) rather than just one, then I think I'll wait a bit. It reminds me of Sanken output stages which once adorned many a cheaply constructed amp independent of glossy facade. Mind you, I listen to Class D every day in my mobile phone and TV. That is where I think they belong at least for a bit longer.
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Post by Owen Y on Feb 17, 2021 13:29:18 GMT 12
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