Class D if so inclined

I had a Atmasphere class d for a few weeks at my house. At the time I also had a Dartzeel model 1 with SCNP. The Dart was my personal amp. I really could hear no difference swapping between the 2 amps. There was some miniscule something. But I could not put my finger on it. There would have been 0 chance I could tell them apart in a blind test.

When my tube amp was 1st auditioned against my Dartzeel, it was a Holly Wow. Very immediate and undeniable change. We were playing a Latin group via my STST Motus II TT. i distinctly remember a wood block coming alive. It was so clearly a block being hit with a wood stick. Before it was just a thunk. With tubes, knew it was wood. Very assuredly wood on wood. And it was now way down in a back corner, outside my house. The soundstage depth was 10 fold deep and wide in layers.

VTV has a GAN amp. But its digital through. You feed the amp from a server via AES. There is no analog input. The amp converts to analog to power the speaker.

I have heard the GAN at shows that looks like a tube. It was very good.

I don't know I would go all class D. But then again, I have never gravitated to SS of any form in my system or others. Maybe Mike Lavignes. His whole system is very of its own. Not at all like any others I have heard.. I don't know a tube amp would work well in his system.
 
I had a Atmasphere class d for a few weeks at my house. At the time I also had a Dartzeel model 1 with SCNP. The Dart was my personal amp. I really could hear no difference swapping between the 2 amps. There was some miniscule something. But I could not put my finger on it. There would have been 0 chance I could tell them apart in a blind test.

When my tube amp was 1st auditioned against my Dartzeel, it was a Holly Wow. Very immediate and undeniable change. We were playing a Latin group via my STST Motus II TT. i distinctly remember a wood block coming alive. It was so clearly a block being hit with a wood stick. Before it was just a thunk. With tubes, knew it was wood. Very assuredly wood on wood. And it was noe way down in a back corner, outside my house. The soundstage depth was 10 fold deep and wide in layers.

VTV has a GAN amp. But its digital through. You feed the amp from a server via AES. There is no analog input. The amp converts to analog to power the speaker.

I have heard the GAN at shows that looks like a tube. It was very good.

I don't know I would go all class D. But then again, I have never gravitated to SS of any form in my system or others. Maybe Mike Lavignes. His whole system is very of its own. Not at all like any others I have heard.
 
a.wayne said:
Using all class D will give your system a single voice and much better for integration. When used with tubes for eg the integration will be odd ..
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Absolutely not the case - with Avantgarde speakers at least.

Probably half of all AG owners use tube amps, mostly SETs, yet these offer great integration with the bass section that has been Class D powered for very many years. Before D was ntroduced , A/B was used in the earliest AG speakers since the 1990s.

My system is now all Class D, but numerous AG owners use SETs plus D for the bass. In fact, the bass is influenced by whatever amp is powering the horn drivers as all sections get their signal from the main amp's output, not (usually) from the preamp.
 
Wow, this thread has my bent wheel spinning. VTV, Buckeye use NCORE or Purifi modules. They are essentially system integrators. Build a box, but a front end in, tube or SS, add a power supply and some connectors and you have an amp. Need a little harmonic richness in your setup? Add a tube front end designed to give you the best balance of 2nd and 3 rd order distortion. Want clean? Choose an opamp you like.

I need 12 channels of amplification for my new theater build. I might just DIY something. These modules are very well documented. I would probably go with a linear power supply because I can design those easily. SMPS are harder.
 
Tom-

This has the gears in the old madula turning! A quick google revealed sources for the Purifi 9040 and power supplies along with user guides.

Perhaps a winter project 2026 may be in the making. Not having a "Double E" background would most likely have me looking at an SMPS from micro-audio. In the mean-time, time clear the workbench and tin up the solder-iron.

John
 
I would agree anyone with some basic knowledge could build up a Hypex Or Purifi class D amp. I don't know if VTV has their own proprietary power supply. That seems to be a big impact on the sonics. Especially the tube one.
 
Kingrex said:
I would agree anyone with some basic knowledge could build up a Hypex Or Purifi class D amp. I don't know if VTV has their own proprietary power supply. That seems to be a big impact on the sonics. Especially the tube one.
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But the result is unlikely to match the best brands' Purifi amps. Where would you get the basic Purifi board from? Purifi offer cheap Eval(uation) boards that can be bought online, but the big brands that use Purifi technology build under license with improved components and performance. NAD, T+A, etc
 
Hear Here said:
But the result is unlikely to match the best brands' Purifi amps. Where would you get the basic Purifi board from? Purifi offer cheap Eval(uation) boards that can be bought online, but the big brands that use Purifi technology build under license with improved components and performance. NAD, T+A, etc
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You can buy boards from VTV.
I don't know what NAD or others do. I have never built an amp.
 
I have a small fossy stereo amp. The BT20A Pro. It sucks. Its all stock. Its great in my living room powering some Bose 301. But in my main system compared to any of my amps, its a toy.

This is the power supply I selected.
 

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Kingrex said:
I have a small fossy stereo amp. The BT20A Pro. It sucks. Its all stock. Its great in my living room powering some Bose 301. But in my main system compared to any of my amps, its a toy.

This is the power supply I selected.
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Having heard the mono blocks and many other Fosi - Bose is a perfect match for them.

Fosi serves a purpose for sure, but "impressed" is not a word that ever goes with Fosi if anyone is listening for the sound of music (measurement obsessed people OTH are easily impressed with class D anything).
 
Michaels HiFi said:
Having heard the mono blocks and many other Fosi - Bose is a perfect match for them.

Fosi serves a purpose for sure, but "impressed" is not a word that ever goes with Fosi if anyone is listening for the sound of music (measurement obsessed people OTH are easily impressed with class D anything).
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Personally I think many wanted Class D to be the savior of the audio amplifier industry. I was surely an early adopter. IMO they sure have to be easy on the manufacturers bottom line by using SMPS and no big chunks of aluminum heat sink. If class D amps bring people back to listening to music I think it is a win win, even if on Bose 301s....:):love:
 
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