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In Reply to: RE: The problem with HOT idling SS amps as I see it.... [long post] posted by AbeCollins on June 29, 2024 at 13:27:40
My problem, and as Jeffreybehr has noted even with GaN Class D Atmaspheres, the sonics are NOT up to the level of the best "traditional" technology.
Nothing I have heard recently changes this perception.
Follow Ups:
see my prior post.
I mean for any kind of speaker...not just electrostats. So, you want to protest about that, I get it, you now promote a GaN based Class D amp. My experience, and why I only use single ended, Class A amplification, is that nothing sounds more realistic overall...not even OTL, which would be my second choice for amp type followed by Class A Triode push/pull (the new Thrax Spartacus 300 all 300B amp is an intriguing product).
When I play SETs I'm too aware of how they don't get the bass right, or for that matter the mids, highs and soundstage. Not saying they don't sound nice- they do! But if you know how the recording is actually supposed to sound then they just aren't as involving since you're always aware of how they fall short.
My speakers are easily driven by SETs being 16 Ohms and 98 dB. So its not an interface thing. They just don't bring home the bacon. Of course if you don't know how the recordings are supposed to sound they are fun, although I've never heard one that can play bass properly.
I don't think any SET can play bass properly. With a gapped transformer (or plate choke) there is never enough inductance to play bass properly (let alone damping). The load line turns into an eclipse in the presents of low bass. The lower portion of that eclipse is not where you want to operate a tube.I save my SET for mids and highs.
Tre'
Have Fun and Enjoy the Music
"Still Working the Problem"
Edits: 07/06/24
The more you can avoid pushing the amp the better.
Yeah, they sound so good he can't listen to them because they produce so much heat. A live performance would be even better but I can't go everyday to enjoy it.
Some recent class D amps sound really nice. But not as nice as a class A.
"Some recent class D amps sound really nice. But not as nice as a class A."
Many audiophiles embrace familiarity and defend broad generalizations that they were taught over the ages. They often hear what they want to hear.
I have owned a couple Class A amps (Pass Labs) that don't sound as good as at least two recent Class D designs in my system.
Different people has different ears. Pass Labs amps are nice.
Yes, "different people have different ears", as you say. As such, broad generalizations about Class A being the best do not apply.Yes, Pass Labs is very nice. I owned two of their Class A amps but in my system I preferred their Class AB amps (I owned 3 of them over the years).
But today, I am extremely pleased with my Class D choices and will take them over the Pass Labs of my past. There's another inmate here who went the same direction by replacing his Pass Labs X150.8 with Class D.
Keeping an open mind (and clean ears!) is key.
Edits: 07/01/24
I am personally using a class D amp in one of my system because I think it is a good value and a strong driving capability.
By any chance, do you have a PASS Labs class A amp want to sell?
No, I haven't owned Pass Labs amps in many years. They ARE very nice amps but I prefer the advantages of Class D in my current setup.
I wouldn't mind trying a newer Pass Labs preamp sometime. I once owned the X2.5 and XP-10. Both were nice sounding preamps but I couldn't stand the old Pass remotes from the X2.5 era. Pass corrected their ergonomic blunder with their newer generation preamps and remotes.
One thing to check out a class D (or any amp) is that they have a good control when signal is near zero.
" One thing to check out a class D (or any amp) is that they have a good control when signal is near zero."
Not sure what you mean by "good control" when signal is near zero.
If you're talking about no noise or hiss, my Class D amp is dead quiet.
On the other hand, my early Class D PS Audio HCA-2 from 20+ years go did have a slight amount of hiss. It was enough to be annoying. These amps were initially shipped with very high gain (something like 30dB). PS Audio later reduced the gain a few dB which corrected the issue for most people.
That was a horrible sounding amp. I had one that I took on trade and it sounded like garbage.
a "good control" means grasp the speakers firmly and do not let them run freely.
It is not about the noise.
This is a very basic concept in amp design.
And you hear those problems at lower volume levels. Any competent design won't have this issue though.
But when you consider SQ/$$, some class D amps are really winner.
nt
In my B&W 801 system, I have 3 amps. It happens 2 of them were rated as class A equipment by Stereophile. One tube and one solid state. Both of them can work either in class A or class A/B by flipping a switch on the fly when music is playing.
I have always loved the 801s, never differentiating between the .x releases. With valves up top and sand down low I bet they sound excellent.
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