Which Class D Amp?

[Idlewithnodrive]

I have had multiple class D amps, even one with the the eigentakt modules. I found them all very transparent, detailed but lacking warmth and body, not something I could listen to all day. Obviously the sound will depend on your speakers, jumping from A to D is quite a leap.

Just my take, I'm sure many are happy with the D, I prefer AB.

It's the heat /power consumption issues which are putting me off. I've owned dozens of AB Amps, just thought now might be a good time to consider something different.

 

[Sonofsun]

It's the heat /power consumption issues which are putting me off. I've owned dozens of AB Amps, just thought now might be a good time to consider something different.

Buy online from Sevenoaks and then if you are not happy you can return to a local store

 

[Jezzer]

At around that price there are Class D amps from NAD and SMSL. But I wouldn’t stop there. Given the budget there are loads of class A/B amps which will sound great and won’t be as inefficient as a Class A amp.

If you can find a used Bel Canto Evo2i for around £500 that would be an absolute bargain but they are getting a bit long in the tooth so it might be an expensive repair if it breaks…

 

[CnoEvil]

I went from a Class A MF AMS35i to a Gato DIA 250S...mostly because the reviews all said that it didn't sound like a typical Class D Amp.

I use it with Harbeth and have tried it with my LS50 Metas......and it works very well, including with Classical Music. It doesn't sound cold, clinical or etched - at least with the speakers I have used it with.

I think it's a bargain at the current price and Elite Audio often have some ex-dem for even better value....and in my case, said if I didn't like it in 6 months, could change it for something else (probably a Luxman). I didn't feel the need to look elsewhere.

https://www.gato-audio.com/pub/media/content/reviews/DIA-250S_20190924_UK_hifinews.pdf

 

[Idlewithnodrive]

Thanks chaps. Anyone use the new NAD 3020 V2 ? Any good?

Quad Vena? Thoughts?

Anything similar?

 

[Jules_S]

There are some excellent Class D amps out there to choose from now. I've owned and tried a number of them. BUT! Don't be under any illusion that you will find one that's going to emulate a Class A style delivery. That's not the way it works. Naturally, there are variances between products, but collectively there is a quality that is different to Class A. A bit like driving German cars all your life, and then buying an Alfa. You wouldn't expect them to have the same "feel".

My advice would be, if you are going to look for a Class D, be willing to embrace that different presentation. If you can do that, there are many excellent products available - NAD, Nord, Gato etc.

 

[Warszawa]

Double that for stereo and you still come under a 100W light bulb.

Mate you're burning money if you're still using 100W bulbs in the 21st Century!

 

[Cable Monkey]

Class D power amps are small and utterly transparent. Get a pre-amp with the sonic characteristics and connectivity you require and save the planet with a Purify or Hypex amp.

 

[JezR]

I purchased a NAD C298 in February 22 just to see what the fuss was about with the Eigentakt modules being the latest thing, I use it with a Dact stepped attenuator in a box as passive pre between my Chord Qutest and the amp as recommended by the scientists over at the unmentionable site and was disappointed, flat sounding/two dimensional, unplugged it and put in on the shelf.
Fast forward to this year just before summer and thought I'd give it another go but this time with my Audio Note M9 Phono pre, wow what a transformation, back to 3D niceness, it definitely scales with the upstream components.
Long story short I've put my Audio Note system into storage after I purchased the Satchmo balanced pre that came up in the classifieds here, same result as before with the M9.
I would suggest if you go the class d route to use a valve pre amp with it if you can, it may surprise you.

 

[Leeken]

I’ve gone from a quad qsp to a nad c298,plugged the qsp back in after a few months to compare,the difference is not small,the nad is the cleanest sound I’ve ever heard,runing From a Rme dac straight into it,zero hiss even with your ears next to the speaker,still cool after being on for several hours.

 

[pmcuk]

Class D power amps are small and utterly transparent.

Class D power amps are small....

 

[Idlewithnodrive]

I’ve gone from a quad qsp to a nad c298,plugged the qsp back in after a few months to compare,the difference is not small,the nad is the cleanest sound I’ve ever heard,runing From a Rme dac straight into it,zero hiss even with your ears next to the speaker,still cool after being on for several hours.

The NAD C298 seems fairly decent, at about 3 times the price I would like to pay

 

[Lurch]

The NAD C298 seems fairly decent, at about 3 times the price I would like to pay

My Nord monos are currently for sale, would you like to give them a try for the cost of postage.
Also dependent on where you are, Jack has another Wam Taxi run at the weekend so could drop them off to you for a play.

 

[hifinutt]

these are great vfm and built beautifully . i had one here and have had class d for years

https://kjfaudio.com/product/sa-01-stereo-power-amplifier/#amp-module

 

[Idlewithnodrive]

My Nord monos are currently for sale, would you like to give them a try for the cost of postage.
Also dependent on where you are, Jack has another Wam Taxi run at the weekend so could drop them off to you for a play.

Thank you, an extremely generous offer. Tempted, but I will see what else appeals before I put you through the hassle, if that's OK ?

 

[Idlewithnodrive]

these are great vfm and built beautifully . i had one here and have had class d for years

https://kjfaudio.com/product/sa-01-stereo-power-amplifier/#amp-module

That does look an interesting option.

 

[Tarzan]

Class D power amps are small and utterly transparent. Get a pre-amp with the sonic characteristics and connectivity you require and save the planet with a Purify or Hypex amp.

 

[robbie010]

I've been running an NAD C368 integrated for a while now and have been very pleased.

It has the onboard phono (MM) and with the Bluesound Node module it is fuss free listening. I recently added a C268 Power amp to run in bridged mono, which I felt gave a good improvement, if not mind blowing.

The C368 has about 80watts on tap and can be had for around your budget with the Bluesound module installed. In my opinion, these integrated amps are somewhat of a hifi bargain and if you feel you need a bit more grunt you can always add the power amp at a late date for around the same money again.

I'm a big fan of the Bluesound streamers and its supporting software, so to have it all built-in to one nice tidy, class D package is just great.

Best of luck.

 

[uzzy]

All i know is I have had a hankering for a new amp for some time (just an itch I keep trying stuff and nothing I have heard to date has made me want to change.

I did try a Nord Class D (admittedly the one with ICE inside rather than Hypex) but whilst good for the money it was no match for my old Hafler - (other power amps tried over many years include EAR 509, Beard, Musical Fidelity A370 and there have been many more). I suspect strongly that if you go and audition and take your Sugden to compare against you will stick with the Sugden.

 

[Nativebon]

these are great vfm and built beautifully . i had one here and have had class d for years

https://kjfaudio.com/product/sa-01-stereo-power-amplifier/#amp-module

This is one class D amp I tried and was very impressed by it's performance.