Best Class D or cool-running amplifier to try?

[typericey]

I myself have been mulling over a March Audio P502. I hope Amir gets to bench it (and soon) as my finger is itching to pull the trigger. If anybody here owns one would love to hear from you too.

 

[Victoria]

Haha oops I just saw your edit, I’ll just add the extra information in a new post to keep things a little easier to follow.

There’s a very high chance that I will settle for the ELAC Vela BS 403 speakers. I have an extremely long history with using ELAC speakers so this is almost a guarantee at this point of time although I will be auditioning a few other brands just to be sure.

My music taste is extremely broad. I listen to classical, jazz, new age, pop, rock, industrial, death metal, black ambient, psychedelic trance, dark synth, goa, and a number of extremely niche genres that most people would’ve never heard of haha. Yeah I take my music listening extremely seriously, and what I listen to is also highly dependent on my state of mind.

My absolute maximum budget for the amplifier and DAC stack is four grand (in US dollars).

And you may have noticed that these are bookshelf speakers and indeed this will be for my computer setup. I spend the vast majority of my free time in front of my PC so naturally that’s always going to be where my audio system will be.

Edit: Just to add on, I think it’s worth mentioning that because of my broad taste in music it’s crucially important that the system sounds as neutral as possible. Because if it favours one genre (by sounding warmer for example) then it will most definitely ruin the experience for one or more other genres I listen to. And while I prefer to take a more technical approach to selecting my equipment, the actual act of listening to music has always been a more spiritual experience for me and my equipment should never get in the way of that experience.

 

[maxxevv]

Just to throw in something different, maybe you can consider some active monitor speakers given your budget range and space constraints?

A pair of JBL 705P's and a well measuring DAC with XLR out such as the Topping D70 / SMSL SU-8 could fit your needs with minimal clutter for the desk.

Maybe even some Adam's or Genelac's that have DSP functions.

 

[Victoria]

Haha I typically prefer not to bother with powered speakers because that begins to severely limit my speaker options, and also, I actually find it creates even more cable clutter because now instead of one wire going into each speaker (signal) I've got two (power and signal). I much prefer to have all the cables centralised to where the amplifier and DAC will be.

Bear in mind my budget for the amplifier and DAC stack doesn't include the speakers, that's being taken care of separately. So I think it's actually a decent budget for a good performing amplifier and DAC combination. Just need to find something small!

The cables going between the amplifier and DAC don't bother me because I usually get my neighborhood pro audio shop to custom make me some ridiculously short XLR cables that jump straight from the DAC to the amplifier so that there's no excess lying around. So all's good in that department. Appreciate the feedback though! But I've thoroughly investigated this idea numerous times and always ended up preferring passive speakers.

 

[BillG]

My absolute maximum budget for the amplifier and DAC stack is four grand (in US dollars).

If one is really interested in getting the equipment out of the way, I'd go for a nice streaming integrated amplifier and be done with it all...

The following even has onboard Direc room correction for ~$2,800USD:

https://nadelectronics.com/product/m10-bluos-streaming-amplifier/

And for less than $500USD, there's this, which has been reviewed here and found to be worthy of a recommendation:

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/aud...mplifiers/wxa-50_u/features.html#product-tabs

 

[snip3r77]

As compared to head amps like atom, why can't analog D amps be measured well below $200.

 

[Victoria]

Does anyone have any opinion on the comparison of the datasheets between these two modules?

ICEpower 125ASX2: https://icepower.dk/download/1636/

Pascal U-PRO1: http://www.pascal-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/U-PRO12_Data_Sheet-1_0.pdf

Couple of notes though: I'm not entirely sure that the Brooklyn AMP uses the U-PRO1; in terms of board layout that most certainly looks like the correct module, but according to Pascal the U-PRO1 doesn't support BTL mode (and the Brooklyn AMP does use two modules, so I'm not sure what I'm missing here; maybe they're just running one channel each?). Mytek does claim that their module is "heavily modified" though.

Looking at the datasheets with my admittedly super limited knowledge the on-paper specifications seem to favor the ICEpower? Though its THD+N vs Power rating seems a little high for 1kHz signals (I'm using 4Ω as a reference since that's what my speakers will most certainly be). Frequency response seems more stable on the ICEpower (especially when looking way beyond 20kHz) but I don't think the difference is too much given that they're both still within a very narrow margin. Power (and there can never be enough of it, haha) favors the ICEpower heavily especially under 4Ω and other random specifications like idle noise seem to favor the ICEpower as well.

So I'm going to answer my own question here since I obviously made a glaring omission when first reading the datasheets. Yeah I'm quite convinced now that the Mytek Brooklyn AMP uses the Pascal U-PRO1. It's indeed a single channel module; I had originally somehow knocked into my head that all modules are two channel (lol, since most Class-D modules I've looked at are usually two channel with support for running in BTL).

(There is a U-PRO2 that's two channel, but the second channel is lower power (to drive HF presumably) and hence BTL isn't supported.)

That means I should have originally compared the Pascal U-PRO1 to the ICEpower 125ASX2 in BLT instead of in SE; and in that regards the 125ASX2 offers WAY more power with much lower THD. Oopsies! Still though, the 125ASX2's THD in 1kHz is pretty high compared to the U-PRO1.

 

[Victoria]

If one is really interested in getting the equipment out of the way, I'd go for a nice streaming integrated amplifier and be done with it all...

The following even has onboard Direc room correction for ~$2,800USD:

https://nadelectronics.com/product/m10-bluos-streaming-amplifier/

And for less than $500USD, there's this, which has been reviewed here and found to be worthy of a recommendation:

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/aud...mplifiers/wxa-50_u/features.html#product-tabs

The NAD has way too much bloat and fluff for my liking and while the Yamaha does look nice it's just a little bit short on power to what I'm typically comfortable with. I generally try to aim for at least 250W into 4Ω, and while I'll happily admit that this is kind of an arbitrary figure I've given myself over the years, it became a value I grew cozy with back when I last did lots of auditioning for my old system.

And although I predominantly use my speakers for near-field listening, I do occasionally play them at higher volumes when I'm either sitting in a more relaxed position further away from my desk or when I'm doing chores around the house.

So for peace of mind I like to stick to my mantra of "more power."

 

[kniff]

Hi and welcome to the forums Victoria.

I'm currently looking to upgrade my desktop setup (i have the Kef LS50s with a tiny Sabaj A4 currently) and am also quite fascinated by the Class D-"revolution" since i lean more towards facts and numbers rather than subjective opinions from reviewers that are paid to give glowing reviews.

The small footprint, coolness of the amps and weight combined with an idle output close to a light bulb are added perks.

Where are you located? I'm considering a few options but one i'm leaning towards is the ICEpower-based XTZ EDGE A2-300 (2x300W@ 4Ω) amplifier paired with the new Topping D50S DAC/preamp that recently got reviewed by Amir on the site. XTZ is a Swedish brand but they do sell to other countries within the EU, it has gotten good reviews in measured testing and reviews.

Another option is the Class D integrated Nuprime IDA-8 (high-end fork off of Nuforce brand..) but it might not have the power output you've been looking for (2x100W)
They do have the IDA-16 rated at 2x200W and if you prefer separates they have those too (STA-9..)

Might interest you and these options should fit inside of your budget as well.

 

[digitalfrost]

Hi and welcome to the forums Victoria.

I'm currently looking to upgrade my desktop setup (i have the Kef LS50s with a tiny Sabaj A4 currently)

[...]

i'm leaning towards is the ICEpower-based XTZ EDGE A2-300 (2x300W@ 4Ω) amplifier paired with the new Topping D50S DAC/preamp

I have that exact setup, with the older D50. It sounds good. The XTZ has a turn on thump, but it's not very pronounced with the LS50. Aside from this, it's a good amplifier.

 

[kniff]

I have that exact setup, with the older D50. It sounds good. The XTZ has a turn on thump, but it's not very pronounced with the LS50. Aside from this, it's a good amplifier.

That sounds promising! During my daily research i stumbled upon this interesting integrated amp that has been vaguely mentioned on the forums previously:

http://www.qlshifi.com/en/wzcapi/qa690.htm

The interesting part is that it is fully digital so more like a powered DAC to be exact. 2x160W@4Ω and 2x100W@8Ω

 

[simbloke]

It does look interesting but they could do with some foreign distributors. Sending that amount of money to China via bank transfer is a good way to wave goodbye to it.

 

[kniff]

It does look interesting but they could do with some foreign distributors. Sending that amount of money to China via bank transfer is a good way to wave goodbye to it.

Actually it is available on Amazon in Europe and NA which is why i'm seriously considering it.

It uses two Texas Instruments TAS5624A Class-D amps.

http://www.ti.com/product/TAS5624A
http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tas5624a.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/QLS-QA690-Di...eywords=qa690&qid=1564255650&s=gateway&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.co.uk/QLS-HIFI-Q...eywords=qa690&qid=1564255709&s=gateway&sr=8-1

 

[simbloke]

That's better then

 

[BillG]

The NAD has way too much bloat and fluff

You see bloat and fluff, and I see a very forward thinking, feature packed system at a reasonable price that one could enjoy for decades...

 

[Victoria]

You see bloat and fluff, and I see a very forward thinking, feature packed system at a reasonable price that one could enjoy for decades...

And I see it as yet another unnecessary complexity

To each their own.

I have absolutely zero interest in streaming services and online music libraries. I much prefer to own my music outright in a DRM-free medium that I am guaranteed access for decades to come. All of my music is either purchased as a CD (which I'll subsequently rip to WAV) or purchased from a service such as Bandcamp where I'm allowed to download the music as DRM-free WAV for offline storage.

I'm also extremely pro-Bandcamp as the cut they take from artists is extremely low (15% for the first 5,000US$ and 10% thereafter).

I've also managed my music in exactly the same way for the past two decades: as a neatly organised folder structure on my PC's filesystem, and I am in no rush to change this. Not only is it guaranteed to work without hassle, it is also the most portable method for organising music. All I ever need to do to transfer my music to another PC or portable DAP is to copy my folder from source to destination.

I use XMPlay for music playback. Not only is it *extremely* lightweight (my XMPlay directory is under 500KB), it is also portable such that I can transfer all of my settings from PC to PC with extreme ease. No installer needed. No importing and exporting needed. Just copy and paste. Done.

The NAD brings absolutely nothing to my table that I don't already have. Again, to each their own.

But I personally feel that I have much higher priorities in life than to deal with the inevitable obstacles typically burdened with needless complexities.

That's just me though, but as someone who was formerly in the IT industry, I'm all too aware of your typical product life-cycle.

If it works for you then super, but not everyone shares the same needs and workflows.

 

[q3cpma]

Should switch to Plan 9 if you dislike complexity.

 

[Djsedaw]

Actually it is available on Amazon in Europe and NA which is why i'm seriously considering it.

It uses two Texas Instruments TAS5624A Class-D amps.

http://www.ti.com/product/TAS5624A
http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tas5624a.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/QLS-QA690-Di...eywords=qa690&qid=1564255650&s=gateway&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.co.uk/QLS-HIFI-Q...eywords=qa690&qid=1564255709&s=gateway&sr=8-1

The QULOOS QA690 chassis is made entirely of military grade aluminum on a CNC Pirelli machine.
Just wish it was made of Star Fleet grade titanium forged in the very heart of Mt Doom!

 

[March Audio]

I myself have been mulling over a March Audio P502. I hope Amir gets to bench it (and soon) as my finger is itching to pull the trigger. If anybody here owns one would love to hear from you too.

I have published some customer feedback on the website

https://www.marchaudio.net.au/customer-reviews

 

[kniff]

The QULOOS QA690 chassis is made entirely of military grade aluminum on a CNC Pirelli machine.
Just wish it was made of Star Fleet grade titanium forged in the very heart of Mt Doom!

I mean...i'd buy it.