I'm very pleased with Arion amp. RS-250.
To me Arion amp does sound smoother than NCore.
RS-250 Spec.
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I'm very pleased with Arion amp. RS-250.
To me Arion amp does sound smoother than NCore.
RS-250 Spec.
It's such a different sound. Very hard to put your finger on it exactly. The DS450M's on just the bass is excellent. Not sure I like them anywhere else.
But it did get me thinking about advancements in Class-D and who is the present day leader.
I've heard a few and I liked the Merrill's a lot, but with a tubed front end (something like a Dude would be great I think). They are not cheap though. All class D is not created equal and the progression toward better sound is changing rapidly. The last gen class D's can't stand up to the current, newer ones.
Thanks Bob. That's exactly what I'm thinking. Class-D is also ripe for combining with a preamp and DAC - all-in-one. It's certainly is interesting and perhaps the future.
I actually remember when SS was first coming into popularity and the first reactions were similar to Class-D now. It will get better, no doubt and hopefully one day sound better than SS. Will it ever sound better than tubes? I have my doubts....but hope one day it can. Believe me, slugging around 150 pound SS amps is no fun. These little Class-D amps are super powerful and light. Imagine a great sounding, super powerful amp, which runs cold the size of a step up transformer? Nice.
I've been reading about the D-Sonic M3-1500M (1500 watts/channel into 8 ohms! - 2400 watts/channel into 4 ohms! - oh my!)
M2 Series Amplifiers, Power Amplifiers & Class D Amplifiers for Sale Online
$1500 each
Insane.
Reviewers said it was very warm sounding and almost too analog!
6moons audio reviews: D-Sonic M2-1500M
Hi Mike,
I know you are a Classe fan so it might interest you that Classe had a proto type Class D amplifier at our recent Music Matters event. It was hooked up to the B&W Nautilus speakers and my friend was really impressed with the sound. When he asked which amplifier was being used, it turned out it was a proto type amplifier Classe was working on that was Class D. I"m not sure which Class D implementation they are using.
hey Mike, I have tried some truly notable models: TADm2500, Rowland 525, and Merrill veritas with my Pass XP-20 and TAD cr-1. I know my speakers do have special needs to truly thrive but all three of these class D were fine, quiet, tight bass but sound stage and musicality just did not compare to any of the class A or AB amps. Just not even close for my particular setup.
ATB,
Nick
The Arion Harmony amps use a tube front end and class D out, they sound great, much like the Rogue Medusa, both neutral in a good sense.
Mike,
Glad you started this thread. I still have the ARC DS450 driving the Salon 2s. As you may remember, I was considering getting the DS450Ms to replace the stereo version. I continue to lean towards the Pass. Just need to pull the trigger.
Mike