Is The New Starke Class D Amplifier Better For Audiophile Home Sound Systems and Home Theatre ? 

*Non-affiliated discount code:* Use code j5% for 5% off entire store (for limited time only) www.starkesound.com/detail.html?id=47 NAD C298 (affiliated link): shop-links.co/chO4VkFTDgb *Relevant Content:* Stake Sound AD4 Review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dBxsKD_x018.html NAD C298 Review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nEL8TtEqrx4.html Fiera4 Measurements: www.soundstagenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2789:starke-sound-fiera4-amplifier-measurements&catid=97:amplifier-measurements&Itemid=154 *My Daily Components (All Tested And Proved To Work in Blind Tests)* Fancy speaker stands I use: shop-links.co/choe8oQHC9w Speaker stands I use (budget): amzn.to/3ssRhI3 Desktop Speaker Stands I Use: shop-links.co/chofc1R7mpT acoustic panels I use: ua-acoustics.com/ acoustic curtain: amzn.to/31d1zAM my fav hifi tweaks: (Isoacoustics devices) amzn.to/3j5FGvM Speaker Isolation Feet I Use: shop-links.co/choffy3csSK Turntable Isolation I Use: shop-links.co/chofgeNORJP Component Isolation I Use: shop-links.co/chofhTC3wc7

I just bought this Fiera4, it brought my old speakers back to life. To a normal guy, it is awesome.

I purchased the Starke AD4 after your review and after reading ASR's review. It was not the first time I purchased an amplifier even though it was not praised by ASR. I contacted Starke and asked them about the review and tried to get as much technical information as I could. They told me that the Starke modules used the TI 3255 amplifier. This is the same amplifier that was used in the Aiyima A07 amplifier. The Starke AD4 uses four chips -- one for each module. The output of the TI 3255 amplifier depends on many factors. These include the output voltage from the power supply, heatsinking, and how whether the module is run in BTL (Bridged Mode) or not. I was using an AV receiver with preamp outputs. The receiver had a rating of 100 watts into 8 ohms and was not supported for less than 6 ohms. I am using a pair of vintage EPI 400s which are 4 ohms. They can take a lot of power given that they have four woofers and four tweeters per side. To produce the maximum stated power, the power supply voltage needs to be 53.5 volts. Prior to purchasing the AD4, I had a new Sonos Amplifier that uses an Infineon Class D amplifier. ASR did not like the Sonos amplifier but I bought it anyway. I found the Sonos to be quite powerful but a little harsh on the top. The Sonos amplifer is quite powerful It is rated at 150 watts per channel into 8 ohms. I wanted something a bit more refined. Looking at the spec sheet for the TI 3255, I believed that the real specs for the AD4 were: Bridged 4 ohms at 1% distortion 315 watts 8 ohms at 1% distortion 157 watts. Stereo 4 ohms 250 watts 6 ohms 200 watts 8 ohms 150 watts The chip also had a 10% distortion rating. While some people will say that having a 10% rating is unlistenable, the fact is that this is similar to overhead. That means that you do have a bit of overhead above what is considered listenable. While total output power is an important consideration, what is more important to most audiophiles is sound. I think most people will agree that most people will never push their amplifiers to even 70 watts consistently. At 70 watts. the TI 3255 chip is rated at .002% distortion. I found the AD4 to be at least equal to the Sonos in power. Sonically, the AD4 was fantastic. Initially, I had a hum. Starke sent me a long article on trying to isolate where the hum came from and eliminating it. I found that the hum came from my projector. I was able to fix the problem once I had found the source. When one considered a switching power supply vs an analog power supply, the switching power supply can be compared to having a battery power source. An analog power supply stores power into capacitors and releases this power during the swing of an AC power signal. All things considered equal, a traditional power supply can be quieter, and it can have more output available for music which is also an AC signal. I further investigated this by searching out some Chinese websites and running their articles through Google Translate. Starke showed tests that verified their published specifications. While I believe that Starke was sincere, I don't see how it would be possible to beat TI's published specifications. In the Chinese articles, the president of Starke in China said that there had been some defective power supplies and that the output voltage wasn't to specification and that they would replace any problem amplifiers. When I read ASR's review, I suspected that the voltage selector might have been set to the wrong voltage and the output was from the power supply was only running at 50%. I am quite happy with my Starke AD4. I bought it during the Black Friday sale and got it for about $1200.00. The amplifier reminds me of the vintage Citation 16. There is absolutely no harshness what-so-ever. Power is not an issue. It drives my speakers effortlessly.

Maybe they should bring the AD4 back as a special edition product.

So long as the gadget sounds great, measurements can be forgiven

Great looking Audio Bench.

Hi Jay, I recently sold my NAD M28 Purifi 400 module amp which only had 25a per channel. I learned that different Class D modules have different current, and my NAD class A/B amp had more current at 95w then the the M28 at 250w. May I suggest that going forward when talking specs that you now include current per channel as this is do important for comparing apples with apples. Also ensure you test class D on speakers that have large sub drivers to see if the class D can drive those speakers like the Polk R700 etc. As an engineer once said to me a mosquito hitting you at 100km hr is not the same as a semi hitting you at 100km hr, but they are both doing the same speed. 25a and 40a equally at 500w @ 4ohm is not the same. The Purifi 7040 chip has 40s per channel when fitted with the correct power supply. Also 3 channels x 500w = 1500w at all channels driven, and a wall socket only has 1,800 w so a 5 channel amp needs s 30amp wall plug.

Most likely their Class D modules are load dependant, it can make certain speakers seem brighter from my understanding. I have a feeling that one AD4 was a bad unit. I think one could tell if their amp was only producing 60 something watts. I have personally bought 2 of the same type/model of class D amps in the past.. one sounded great, which prompted me to buy a 2nd when I needed one...the 2nd amp just didn't sound right. Only difference between the 2 was the 2nd one had a much earlier serial number. If I had never heard the 1st unit I would have thought the whole line of that model wasn't very good.

I bought two ad4.320 after watching your video and after Amir did the measurements I contacted starke and they offered full refund I decided to keep them both I run a 4 speaker stereo system because of the size of my room I run one for right two speakers and one for the left two speakers above 100hz the company refunded me for one amp as that's what I ask for they are wonderful to work with after their new class D amplifier was released they offered me a very nice discount if I would wanted to purchase them but I am happy with the ad4.320s love the sound of them and more than enough power for how I use them. Good review 👍

Well done as all ways Jay. I would like to see your take on the Lsa Warp 1

You have to be careful with power specs. If they don't tell you at what distortion the amp reaches that power it's a pretty useless spec. Power should always be listed at the point before distortion rises and the amp clips

what are those speakers in the background with the triple tweeters in a MTM design? I'm intrigued-- I presume a review is forthcoming?

In performance, my AD4 was only recently surpassed by Van Alstine DVA 225 monoblocks...my AD4 is on audiomart for 650US. Jaye, seek out the Van Alstine Monos...mind blowing.

Measurements do not equal sound quality. As in, who cares how anything measures as long as the sound quality is one that you personally enjoy;

It is a known fact that ASR meassures with other settings(that designers of gear find mindblowing since they don't have any value for users) then manufacturers.. so don't think there is more in it than that..

They have a banger of a sale going on right now. $1199 for the fiera4 and you get a $200 coupon for a future purchase. Thats crazy.

Thanks for turning me onto starke audio. While the diets series isn't getting amazing reviews I bought the firera 8 for 1250 on sale . which seems like a check of a bargain, well see, thanks again

After hearing your review, I wish Starke would have just corrected the specs of the AD4 on their website and documents. I bet I'll still be rocking the AD4 for the next 9 or so.

By this time I'm surprised you haven't tried any Nuprime amps? Class D, they use a linear power supply, AND they make their own power modules. The Nuprime ST-10 gets rave reviews. It's a shame none of the RU-vidrs have showcased it. Can you review one??

I had hum with my ad4s but I got some balance connectors to RCA connectors and found some high quality RCA cables and now it is totally silent even with your ear to the Tweeter no sound at all

Hey Jay, what pre-amps did u use that worked well with the Fiera4? Any tube preamps?

Its nice to see Starke sound putting out something that meets up to the specs, it is however sad to look back and see how they handled the gross mispecification of the AD4.320. They handled it so poorly with their existing customers and tried to make it seem like it wasn't happening. Never owning up or taking accountability, offering refunds for a small time period without ever notifying their customers. A post on ASR and disclaimer on their site that wasn't even up very long, come on. There's way too much snake oil in this industry. Knowing a company isn't working out of a place of integrity is an automatic do not buy list for me.

Starke have a lot of great audio gear. Is that a Line Magnetic in the background? Cheers!

The controversy over the Starke AD4 is way overblown, and lays bare the toxicity of certain subgroups on the internet, represented in this case by a lot of folks over at Audio Science Review. Companies are responsible for being honest in how they represent their products, and when that is breached, a company *should* be responsible to make amends. That describes Starke to a T. Although many of the more toxic ASR cult members take a “guilty until proven innocent” (or grovel and beg for forgiveness) stance, and hurl accusations far and wide, we don’t actually know why Starke didn’t explain to Amir exactly why there was a discrepancy. And contrary to what many consumers think today, they don’t have to. Most manufacturing companies do not share their inner workings or motivations behind why do what do, especially not when an accusatory internet mob demands it. What they HAVE done is remove the product and readily offer refunds to anyone who wants to return the product. I bought one shortly before Amir’s article came out, and I was having issues with ground loops (since corrected), and the company offered to refund the purchase for that alone. Starke makes very high performing Home Theater speakers and amps, AD4 notwithstanding. Their first foray into relatively low cost products didn’t fare too well (my own suspicion is that they did not intentionally mislead people, but of course we don’t know one way or another). In my opinion their biggest mistake was underestimating the damage that could be caused by a virulent group of online folks who engage in group think and hero worship and are eager to assume malice.

Referring to ASR is a low…. thought you are about listening music, not measuring. Amir’s measurements have no real value as he doesn’t show his settings, etc. (See Goldnote).

I own the the AD4 -320 a (terrible name for anything. WTF were they thinking with that name) its great amp that I got based on your review, .I am running it in 2 channel bridged mode, 3 of the guys from my very good local audio club here on the central coast of CA, that are very familiar with my system, have heard it in my system have raved about theAD4. All of us think it performs as specified by Starke, I haven't bench tested it but suspect that the one tested on the net review must have been defective . The AD4 replaced a very powerful 200WPC 6L6 Mesa /Boogie tube amp that is super dynamic, ,fast paced, and projects a huge holographic 3D soundstage and the AD4 is even more powerful. I have a very good Jungson JA88 (09) Luxury 80WPC class A integrated amp that I have extensive listening experience. I have had the 1000WPC C.I A class d monoblocks for a week and strongly prefer the AD4 and I have had several other amps in my system. So I don't have doubts about the company's power output claims.. Jay this amp should make you wonder what the Starke A2 640 "audiophile " $9000 AB amplifier must sound like?

Hi Jay’s you should give a try to nuprime new models

What speakers are these please

A request - As soon as you say, "ASR found that Stark had overstated the power output" please then tell us by how many watts. Was it 2 was over? 20? 200? Thanks, and I will continue to watch all your videos as I do enjoy them and trust you are reporting what you hear.

Hi jay. What speakers are those?

Please review the eversolo f2 🙏🏻

How would this amp hold up to a Mark Levinson 533H (AB) 3-channel power amp? I am interested in the musical abilities, not just power.

Hi Jay, curious what brand/model those speaker stands are? Looks like a tripod spike design with 1 in front, 2 in back.

If the specs of the Ad4 are less as advertised then what are the current rated specs updated so I know if I find a used one... Also don't worry about that people that critique your comments or the way you speak You're doing it fine and you doing it your way cuz you cannot please everyone lol

What is the other Class D amp you're talking about, that you found doesn't sound like Class D....? XTZ....?

Why don’t you play music on the equipment you review

Hi Jay, Too bad Starke has pivoted to a switching power supply. I check their website just now to see if I could pick up a pair of remaining stock and there isn’t any AD4 models even as ‘B’ stock. I planned to use the AD4s in a 2 channel and 5 (Anthem pre-amp) channel set-up. Can you recommend a DAC and 2 channel preamp (as separates) that would pair with the Fiera. The 5.2 & 2.2 system will have the CSS 1TD-X as front left/right, a single 2TD-X center and P215-X speakers as rear left/right channels. Also do think the P215-X isover kill as rear channel speakers? Also Jay can you review the M&k 150 series in a 2 channel set-up please. I just heard then in a 2.2 system and wow that were very natural sound and yet quite resolving.

Jay / anyone : when connecting a REL sub to (AD4) in bridged mode , do you still NOT connect the black ground as per other class d amps? Thanks in advance!

What is that equipment rack that they are sitting on?

What are those speakers in the background?

What is the power rating

Hey Jay, are you running your Line Magnetic tube amp thru those Starke Amps, or running them separately?

What’s iyagi?

I made a search and could not find what the NEW power measurements are for the Starke AD4. Does any one know what they are? Thanks.

If you are Jay Iyagi then who is Jay Lee ?

Another Brilliant Ghost Stories thick wallet means Special Sacred Ears.

Merrill Audio Veritas blows the screws right outta this crap.

They got greedy and went for the GRAB, its obvious

Starke is a company that I stay away from. There are so many good, honest manufacturers out there.

I don’t put hardly any stock in measurements performed by ASR. These are the same clowns that attempted to measure EMI on a power cable that wasn’t even plugged in! And Amir is basically deaf, as far as I can tell.

What a shame, they use a switching power supply instead of twin toroidal power transformers in the new model and that completely ruins the analogical sound signature of this Class-D amplifier.

Starke haven't yet admit to the false claim they made with the AD4. First step to regain trust is to admit past mistakes. So far, I see no reason to give them another chance until they admit their false claim in the first place, and address how/what they will do to ensure other products that they are selling meet their stated claims. Like providing independent measurements, for all of them.

ASR = Clowns

Brother, you are speaking so fast that it is annoying. I had to turn you off!

Would the Fiera4 be a decent match with the Kef R3?