This video shares how a Class 'D' amplifier works. It covers the strengths and weak points. Featuring a pair of 600W into 8 Ohm mono blocks from D-Sonic.
Another great vid. I've had a good many class A and some mighty powerful class A B amps in my time and all of them ran hot, but at present I'm using a couple of Primare A34.2 class D amps in bridged mode delivering 550w into 8 Ohms each and the music sounds truly magnificent.
I am from the Philippines and I can't help but watch in awe at your great single driver per channel Sibelius speakers. Thank you ❤️ for the nice explanation.
I think even the average class D ICEpower module sounds good nowadays. Nice dynamics, good slew rate/transient response. Class D used to be inferior to A or AB, but a lot has changed in the past two decades.
Digital signal processing. So long as your switching frequency is high enough, the granularity of the signal is a perfect reproduction of the source signal. None of this was practical until the development of modern micro controllers/micro processors. Digital signal processors. That, and crazy good development in switch mode components. The same technology drives electric vehicles too.
I have had a D-Sonic M3a 400wpc stereo amplifier for several years now, and it is an amazing amp. I routinely tell people who ask about it: If I had a budget of $100,000 to buy another amplifier, I would NOT KNOW FOR CERTAIN what amp I would buy that I would like better than my D-SONIC. I have compared D-SONIC amps to amps well into the 5 figures (over $10k+, some even over $50k), and I like the D-SONIC better. The value of D-SONIC amps is through the roof. Even the smallest one (the one I own) will drive well just about any consumer loudspeaker on the market (at 400 wpc into 8 ohms and 800 wpc into 4 ohms).
Thanks for a really relatable explanation of class-D. It seems to be a good approach to maintaining signal fidelity. It’s harder to audition equipment now, there are fewer retailers here in London. There seem to be more class-D options now as it becomes more mainstream so I will try to find some to audition.
Hi Christopher, you are very welcome. Thanks for your very kind comments. If I may make a suggestion? Perhaps make an appointment my friend Ajay Verma or Art and Sound. He’s in West London and can offer you a great location to listen for as long as you like to a whole range of equipment. He’s even got my pair of D-Sonics right now. It would mean driving to West London. But i think you’ll find it worth it. Good luck!
@@PearlAcousticsthat’s good to know. I live in Southfields near Wimbledon so it’s easy to get to West London. My Perreaux 200i amplifier suddenly and mysteriously failed two days ago. I will find someone to repair it. It’s a good opportunity to audition class-D sound. Thanks for he tip. Brilliant!
@@christopherward5065 you’re welcome! When I was over at Ajay’s last time he had the new NAD Purify amplifier and I have to say, it was really impressive. In a blind audition, I don’t think anyone could ever tell.
Great information. I'm currently using Dsonic M3000s for my Maggies 1.7s and it sounds wonderful and still delicate for my small stable of bookshelf speakers. The grip on the speaker is Ironclad. From what I understand the design has been upgraded. In the near future I will be taking it in personally because I live in Houston to have my unit upgraded with the latest technology. I also will ask him if he could add a gain knob like Parasound. This will help take some of the aggressiveness off the small speakers. It's delicate but you still have to be mindful. I think the gain would make it more forgiving.
These are great amp - i enjoy for couple of months the M3a-6100-7 in my HT and love it! Even made review on my channel! Thanks for this review also - the more people know about these great products, the better!
Untill now I have never heard a class D amplifier sound any good. Yesterday I heard a 30 watt SET amplifier of Voxativ. That blew me away. Technology of the thirties of the previous age is still King.
I use Mola Mola Kaluga's I think you will like their performance a little better then these and they are 400 watts @ 8ohms and easier to live with. Just use a good aftermarket power cable with good connectors and good copper not the little evil cheap black 14 AWG crappy one it comes with. The capicitors a lone in Mola Mola cost more than the Hypex module and they use a proprietary power supply as well they make in house. It would be interesting to compare them. I would also think about using a good preamp from Mola Mola or an Audionet Stern. The Stern is the finest preamp I have ever heard, I use a Lampizator Baltic DAC with a built in active tube preamp. My speakers are YG Acoustics Carmel 2's.
@@ponch0068You have no idea they were custom designed by Bruno Putzy's..The caps alone cost more than the hypex modules and custom power supply bespoke for them
@@pennfootball71 Yeah, Bruno from Mola Mola is a true expentional designer, a true master in his field. The VTV amplifier based on EVAL-1 is exceptional value in high-end.
Is a substandard power supply the reason why my 2 Hypex Ncore500 mono blocks cant keep up with my first generation Bryston 4b? What did you mean by front end module? Thank you
Interesting. But i saw "28'Hz Lo-Pass filter" was written on the rear! It should be Hi-Pass filter at 28'Hz if it is a low-frequency sub-sonic filter. (& it's far too low a f' if it really is a "28'Hz Low-Pass Filter" useful for a deep sub-woofer amp) Surely a mistake print. The fairly new Class D amps using Gallium Nitride transistors (or is it Gallium Arsnide? ..1 or the other) instead of the normal silicon transistors, I've noticed they are unaminously suprising some good (imo) RU-vid amplifier reviewers who previously didn't like all the qualities of all their previously reviewed (silicon-based) Class-D amps, yet are all being very pleasantly surprised & 2or 3 near shocked by the new Gallium-x transistor switching amps. Ive no idea what type these are. Obviously very good nonetheless
Well spotted! That was the label placed on the back of the amp by Dennis, he realised the error the moment he did it but we found it amusing and have kept it there ever since. 😉
I was fascinated by the story of the Sibelius speakers. I could almost buy a pair just from hearing about them. Your experience of amplifiers is also interesting. You have spoken mainly about power amps - D Sonic, Ming Da and the power amp section of the Pure Audio integrated. Which pre amps do you like? Best wishes, Anthony
Dear Anthony. Thank you for your kind words. To be honest, I am pretty ‘a-typical’ when it comes to pre-amplifiers. I like to keep the signal path as simple and elegant as possible. If you like Tube powered, Ayon make very fine (but expensive) equipment. However, we use the QUAD Artera Play plus. It is a fabulous unit and is compatible with many power amplifiers. But there are many of these type of products available. I like these ‘all in one units’ because they reduce cables and external interference and also because they go out of date quickly, so are better value for money to replace. Having said that, I also use a 1986 Quad 66 pre-amplifier that is still working very well indeed!
Whilst you can extract a very good performance from a D Class amp with a lot less power consumption due to its high efficiency, a high end vacuum tube amplifier can give you a sublime listening experience and allow you to cook an omelette on top of the amp at the same time.
So true! I use my D-class amplifiers in the Summer and switch to the technically ‘less perfect’ A class tube monoblocks, in the winter. they are great at giving a cosy feeling and heating the room at the same time!
@@PearlAcoustics I recall an incident in the 1970s or 1980s where a Soviet fighter jet came down in territory outside the Soviet Union and the US managed to get their hands on it. The story is that the US officials that examined the jet were amused at the fact that there were vacuum tubes used, some of them micro-vacuum tubes, in the jet's electronics. They later noticed that the areas where the vacuum tubes were used were critical flight and weapons systems etc. Systems that the jet could not do without in an emergency. Vacuum tubes at the time could withstand much great shocks from a nuclear blasts or radiation surges than microchips or standard solid state transistors could withstand. There has been advances in shielding since that time but it would not surprise me if micro vacuum tubes are still used somewhere in the Military of some countries. What has this got to do with speakers and amplifiers etc? Probably nothing.
@@PetraKann love it! Sometimes what we see as ‘primative’ are indeed advantages, if only we can see it from another viewpoint. To think that the 805 vacuum tubes I use on my class A monoblocks were invented for radio transmission and often used in aircraft!
@@PearlAcoustics indeed. A tube amp may be a useful investment in the event of a nuclear war. Could be still listening to Kind of Blue whilst your neighbour’s amp chips have fried in the blast wave. Not a bad way to go. My experience with valve amps is with guitar amplifiers. Valves certainly colour the tone in a unique way. It’s an interesting area because the bulk of tine colouration comes from the pre-amp stage in the signal path. It’s here where the weak low voltage signal from the guitar pick ups is increased in voltage. The pre-amp is a voltage a as amplification stage. The power stage is a current amplification stage that increases the power to drive the speaker. Like your speakers guitar amps dont use crossover circuitry (not that I know of anyway). I cant remember the company or brand name but they have released rackmount pre-amps from classic amp designs like vox, marshall, fender, mesa-boogie etc. You then only use one Power Amp unit and one speaker cabinet which are connected to your stack of pre-amps. A foot switch allows you connect different pre amps with their unique tone. Tone resides in the pick up design, strings, guitar design as well but above all, in the fingers and technique of the guitar player (see Jeff Beck). Cheers (Lockdown in Australia with only music to keep sane)
Always thought I’d get a parasound halo amp for my HT but now these are on my radar. Really curious on how they stack up. There’s not a lot of side by side comparisons with these against SS amps
Indeed Scott. D-Sonic do little marketing. They are different like a high revving Italian sports car is different from a low revving, high torque British sports car.
Dear Henrik. You’re not alone. I personally could not live with class D only. But I am lucky enough to have access to all kinds of equipment and adjust according to my mood and the season.
At 05:00 I see 28hz LO-PASS OMG This is so completely wrong 1. It should read 28 Hz LO-PASS with a capital H to honor Mr. Hertz and a space between value and unit. 2. this is hopefully NOT A LO-PASS filter. From Wikipedia: A low-pass filter is a filter that passes signals with a frequency lower than a selected cutoff frequency. If this was a LOW-PASS filter you would ONLY hear the rumble... How can anyone trust your information?
Indeed. You’re absolutely right. I have no idea why the manufacturer put a sticker on with that . Of course it should either say ‘high pass’ or low frequency roll off.
@@PearlAcoustics Thank you very much for your kind reply, I will have to take a look at that as I am not familiar with it. All the best from a fellow Brit living in Austria
I still have my Exposure X integrated amp which I enjoy very much.. What group would you put the Exposure X in in your recommendation as I still feel that I'm doing just fine with what i have..
sorry Paul, I have only just seen your comment. I have heard nothing but good about your amplifier. If it’s working for you then, keep it. There’s no reason to change.
Great video! One thing I always wonder with Class D, is if there can be an analogy made with fluorescent lighting. There's some well documented evidence that the 120hz flickering of fluorescent light bulbs causes fatigue, headaches, a sort of subconscious response to the flickering stimulus which some parts of the brain do perceive, even if the eyes do not. Incandescent lighting is prone to the same 120hz flicker, but the filaments don't cool down quickly enough to really express it, so they're perceived to be more "natural" or warm or calming in comparison. I could be totally wrong here, but could class A's "naturalness" be considered almost like an incandescent bulb where as Class D is more akin to fluorescent, even if the switching frequency is extremely fast? Could the brain, at some imperceptible level be annoyed by the switching? Getting into woo-woo land here but, even with a decent class D, does anyone notice a weird fatigue or harshness settle in after an hour or more of listening at relatively acceptable levels (less than 80db)?
@@PearlAcoustics Not sure I really have either, except in cars with cheap class D amps (like mine) and even that may have more to do with having tweeters on the A beam pointing directly into the driver and passenger's faces. It's just always something I've wondered about, especially in the earlier days of Class D when they were often described as sounding unnatural. I guess the switching frequency on most good class D amps is much, much faster than 120 hz however.
@@mattphang2477 indeed... these things are very subjective, but a weird thing I found is that by changing interconnects, sometimes can make a difference. For example Amazon ’Basics’ can tame down a harsh sounding amp! Weird but true.
I’ve owned these amps couple different times. They are great little amps. I had the previous generation. The previous Gens did not mate well with speakers that have ribbon tweeters. Also speakers that sound neutral or lean sound more cold and lean. I had my d sonic mated to dynaudio c4 and sounded fantastic. When I paired them with Salk SS8 with the ribbon tweeters sounded horrible. The speakers sounded sibilant and thin. The Salks measure flat and doesn’t have a lot of bass to begin with but with the d Sonics sounded like there was zero bass and all highs. I switched to a warmer class A/B amp - parasound JC1s and the sound was more full and warmer. I have tried other class d amps like bel cantos and wyred 4 sound and those sound warmer. D sonic to be sound more cold and clinical which mates well with warmer speakers.
Hi, thanks for the great review. I want to ask if this amplifier is a good choice for KEF REF 5. I would like to use NAD M33 as a preamp and D-SONIC as an amp.
Thank you for your kind comments. I see no reason why this amp would not work well with your KEF’s. The dynamics will be fabulous. But watch the volume control! Some preamplifiers have configurable outputs, preventing over powering you loudspeakers. But this is not essential, if you are sensible.
I would respectfully suggest that the low power Spec Corp class D amplifiers would be a much better match with FR speakers like the Sibelius. The designer is coming from a tube SET background.
actually they are plentiful, and dirt cheap, and excellent (also sometimes they spec for 300watts are for 4 or 2 ohms, at %10 distortion which means 50 at 8 with no distortion)
NAD makes really good ones. The C328 and the C338 integrated amplifiers are 40 and 50 Watts respectively. Class D and some really decent build quality and sound quality.
This guy us a genius. "If you want a good amp, buy a well designed Class A amp, or a well designed Class AB amp, or a well designed Class D amp. Don't use a tube amp in a hot room but use a tube amp in a cold room."
I hear this often, but really, how much does a typical push pull tube amp warm up a room? I've been using one for years and have never seen the room thermometer move even 1 degree up when I turn it on ...and my amp is in a rather small, non-climate controlled room. I guess this idea comes from people that like to sit inches away from their amp.
