Class-D Integrated Amplifiers

I have not heard newer Class AB, but the class D I bought my son sounded better than any Class AB amp I ever heard. Close to tube sound. The Pioneer SX-S30 looks great. Plus, it has bass & treble controls to tune to your speakers- very important unlike the Sprout100 with no bass & treble control.

 

Another vote for the Sprout100. At $599, it is relatively inexpensive and covers a lot of bases. I currently use it as a desktop solution but may eventually move it into the bedroom to power a set of bookshelves. Very compact. It has some good, standard input options, is Roon compatible and has a decent DAC. For some, it could be a great all-in-one solution.

 

There are a lot of good ones already posted in the thread, but how much of a step up from the Yamaha A-S501 listed in your profile do you want to take? The other obvious question is about your expressed concern about weight.

If you want to take a big jump up in power, current delivery and sound quality, while still retaining some of the wonderful character of the Yamaha, consider the NAD C368 (22 pounds) or the NAD C388 (30 pounds). Either model is terrific.

With less power, while still being able to beautifully drive a wide range of speakers, and a sleeper in the audiophile community, consider the TEAC AI-503. It’s terrific, small, lightweight (10 pounds), and offers wonderful sound. It presents different sonics than anything from Yamaha or NAD, but it’s also terrific.

The internal DACs in all three units are very good. The TEAC with its smaller form factor offers somewhat fewer input connections than the physically larger NAD models.

Emerald Physics, Lyngdorf (already mentioned in the thread, and very good), Devialet at serious money, Bel Canto at serious money and a bunch of others can be auditioned. Once you get into high power ratings, weight begins to increase as you get into larger and larger chassis form factors. Class D is an extremely efficient means of power output, and lower power integrateds (i.e., 50W per channel or less) can fit into relatively small, cool-running cases. But really well-engineered class B designs run quite cool too and don’t have to be heavy.

 

This is a great option to an integrated amp. I've been using Wyred 4 Sound amps (SX-500s, ST-500 and ST-250) for a number of years. They're excellent sounding amps with plenty of power. The fact that they weigh much less than all the conventional amps I've owned in the past is a big plus. I'm using a Wyred 4 Sound STP-SE preamp which is an excellent preamp IMO.

 

$175 Class D amp--120 wpc

Class D Audio

 

Pondering the same move from my Sphinx. Which Raven and what are your thoughts on the change? Although I love my Sphinx for many things it does not manifest the presence of the tube pre in its sound. I find it very neutral. It works well with my Tektons, but I’m thinking of downsizing and the Pendragons probably aren’t in that version of the future.

 

Here's an option:https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/thre...integrated-amp-moon-lp110-phono-stage.754653/

And it comes with a bonus.

 

There is a lot of helpful input here. Thank you! Wanted to share with you something I've found in following a lot of the breadcrumbs. The Class D integrateds and many if not all of the preamps have too few analog unbalanced inputs for my needs. Frustrating! Optical/SPDIF inputs are useless to me because my disc player is SACD. I think the PS Audio Stellar preamp may just make it, because I can use the balanced inputs for the disc player, two of the RCA inputs for my TV and DVD player, and the third for a future turntable (with phono pre-amp of course). But choice is limited. No doubt that's because the better Class D stuff is also the newer stuff, and that's the way the world of inputs is going, but I'm a bit stuck in the past in terms of my needs.

Some of you have asked what I mean by "too heavy" in terms of actual weight. 30 lbs. is my absolute limit and something more like 25 lbs. would be much better. (And of course, lighter than that would be even better.)

 

You will enjoy the Stellar DAC/Pre if you decide on that route. It, along with the S300 amp, is a great combo. I've sold quite a few of those.

The Stellar DAC/Pre is really quite good. I actually consider it one of the best values in the PS lineup.

 

Parasound Hint6 weighs in at only 3 lbs more - the original Hint outperforms any Class D amp I've encountered, including Devialet monoblocks, I kid you not.

How often do you foresee yourself moving the amp around? Maybe there's a fellow audiophile nearby who wouldn't mind helping you set it up?

 

You might also consider the Parasound P6 if you're going the separates route. I like mine a LOT.

 

+1

I was very impressed with my Sphinx. Best of both worlds - tube pre-amp stage and Class D power. Plenty of oomph, very musical, you can do a little tube rolling if you like, and truly superlative customer service. Also, made in USA.

The Sphinx replaced my Croft Phono Integrated. I found it just as sweet and musical bit with more power. Only reason I don't still have it is a found a crazy deal on an LFD NCSE Mk. 2.

 

I tried a Sphinx, and didn't care much for it, I think it would be much better with different (livelier)tubes. I had a Decco65 and liked it OK, but found it a bit tiring for long sessions.

I have a Nova150 and absolutely love it. Just does everything well. Phono stage is more than decent - much better than the Gen 1 Sphinx, but not so sure about the one Rogue is doing on Gen2. I also have owned many pieces of Rogue's stuff and still have my Ares and Stealth phono stages, and an RP5 preamp.

If you don't need much power, the NAD D3020 is pretty crazy good for it's size and cost.

 

The Pioneer SX-S30 looks really interesting for my needs with the inclusion of HDMI. Question on the spec: What does this mean: 85 W/ch (4 ohms, 1 kHz, THD 1.0 %, 1ch Driven)

I can follow all the way up to "1ch Driven". Are they really saying its ~42.5W per channel or something else?

 

I think it means they did the measurement from driving only one channel, but it's rated at 85 W/channel.

 

I had a Rogue Pharaoh that I liked a lot but I upgraded but still use Class D mono blocks that I think sound awesome, as did the amps in the Pharaoh. Using Bel Canto REF 600s.

 

I think it will probably translate to about 40 watts/channel, driven both channels, 8 ohms, 20-20,000Hz @ .05%THD

 

NAD newer amps are class D

 

Last year I bought a NAD C388 and I'm very happy with it. The sound is impeccable and it runs cool. One of the things I like is that when turning up the volume the only thing that happens is the sound gets louder. This sounds strange, but every stereo I've owned in the past the sound tended to change as the volume was increased. With the NAD the sound is great no matter what the volume setting. It may not be the most hip amplifier to own, but it does what it does without getting in the way of things.

 

Does it have extra power from the previous amps you have used? I noticed the same thing with my current amp. I went from an 80 watts class AB amp to a 300 watts class D amp. Actually my speakers are 4 ohms so they get 525 watts or somewhere close because the measurements the brands are stating are not usually precise. I tested the amp (and speakers) with songs with big low end and I noticed what you said, no compression or distortion, only clean high volume to the point my ears hurt but the system could go on for days.

Class D has made powerful amplifiers affordable or at least less expensive. They are also less lighter in weight and run cooler. I know lots of people love watching big audio monoblocks on their floors but for me it's a good thing the amps are shrinking.

 

Yes, it does. The previous amp was a NAD AVR with 80 W/channel (in stereo). I wanted to have something with more power and I'm really happy with the result. There is something to be said for an amp with enough power/headroom to handle anything you throw at it.

 

Yup, pretty much they are lying. A product for a new generation of stupid consumers who enjoy their mobile-based streaming music and can even just listen to Ariana Grande out of their speakerphone.

The rating is audibly distorted into the minimum tolerable load if only one speaker of two is operating. Real ratings are more likely 45 watts/ch if both channels are driven, 25 watts if normal 8 ohm speakers are used, 15 watts per channel if we use continuous RMS measurements instead of "peak power" etc, 10W RMS 20-20kHz both channels driven into 8 ohms at 0.1% THD+N.

Consider the power consumption of the amp is rated at 55W AC. An amplifier has two parts, its power supply, and its power stage. The class D amp likely has both a switch mode power supply and amplifier devices with a very sharp limit on the available current delivery.

 

I have Focal 1028 Be with Audio Analogue Puccini Anniversary, but its 80W (@8ohm, 150W@4ohm, 300W@2ohm) is just not enough for big and power hungry focals

Was looking at this combination:
Hypex based Class D power amp from Apollon (NC800SL: 400W@8ohm, 700@4ohm)
Primaluna Prologue Premium tube preamp
total of ~ €3500 ($4000)

Primaluna has really lush tube sound, combined with Hypex gazillion of watts should give musicality and power to my focals.
At least in my theory, which is just a theory because I can't test it
Anyone has some experience with that or similar combination of tube pre/class d power?

 

You can get a very good sounding Class D amplifier for about £40 on ebay.

The best i've heard is a Sure. Very neutral and easy to listen too over long periods.Smooth sound signature.The only downside is that it probably needs speakers with sensitivity of 89db or above to go really loud and has a slightly lightweight bass (although bass is still well controlled and well integrated).

 

I have the VTL 2.5 - Crown XLS-1502. My budget was tight and I was lucky to find the VTL in a low price otherwise I could not afford it. They really clicked together when I added the VTL, I mean that in terms of driving. The VTL is more powerful than the other preamps I tried, it's important in a pre-power combination from different brands to have a preamp that can drive the power amp adequately.

As far as I know Hypex has a smooth sound, personally I would go with an integrated or pre-power from the same brand. Nord makes both, I'm not sure about Apollon. With both brands you have the option to choose the opamp to fine tune the sound. The tube pre/class d power sounds great but make sure about matching them. Also be ready to spend a good amount of money for tubes, for example the NOS Mullards I put are better than the ElectroHarmonix the pre had when I got it. Not a night & day difference though and I hate spending money for expensive tubes. The worse thing is no matter the tubes, a tube amp will never be 100% quiet like some SS amps.

BTW...I consider Hypex one of the best choices today no matter the cost. If I could afford I would get a Hypex based amp too.