Class D Audio GAN FET Amps

[Doodski]

Like a true liberal.

Using your crystal ball again to view what other people are and think?

 

[ChefBrunch]

Using your crystal ball again to view what other people are and think?

By calling others exactly what you are doing.Victim reverse card.

I posted a thread for typical system upgrades. So far nothing but troll replies.

If you don't have a system upgrade to talk about you don't have to post in this thread.

Well we had the one post about computer upgrade thats legit but not very fun.

 

[Ropeburn]

What the hell happened here? What a mess.

Why bother with all the magical talk?
Everyone knows the real magic happens when you start playing with synthesizers and drum machines.

 

[Buckeye Amps]

By calling others exactly what you are doing.Victim reverse card.

I posted a thread for typical system upgrades. So far nothing but troll replies.

If you don't have a system upgrade to talk about you don't have to post in this thread.

Well we had the one post about computer upgrade thats legit but not very fun.

.....what?
This isn't your OP thread BTW. Are you lost?

 

[Doodski]

By calling others exactly what you are doing.Victim reverse card.

I posted a thread for typical system upgrades. So far nothing but troll replies.

If you don't have a system upgrade to talk about you don't have to post in this thread.

Well we had the one post about computer upgrade thats legit but not very fun.

I see you are still spinning it.
Spin, spin, spin.
Reverse card?
Is that the very best you can spin that one into?
Seriously?

Some quotes. All spin and fiction.>>>
-measurements don't mean squat.
-The TEAC sounds obviously better to me....by a large margin, it makes everything I hook up to it better. A hint of smooth warmth with extreme detail and dynamics. Musical but touching the analytical side. Just a touch less sterile than off the shelf ncore modules....ive heard a few other Ncores and purifi, I like the TEAC implementation best. It's a little more full....sort of like classic denon sound with nice upper midbass.

 

[MoreWatts]

You've posted over 4000 times at the Steve Hoffman Forums.

Any particular reason you've decided to bother us? You knew what ASR was about before you came here.

@ChefBrunch: You didn't answer the question.

 

[Doodski]

@ChefBrunch: You didn't answer the question.

These kind of spin people use fictions, convenient facts while ignoring the inconvenient facts and even denying they exist. It's all an agenda they shove. I don't expect you will get an answer and for sure no common sense.

 

[voodooless]

@ChefBrunch: You didn't answer the question.

Worse, he didn’t answer any of the questions.

 

[antcollinet]

You've posted over 4000 times at the Steve Hoffman Forums.

Any particular reason you've decided to bother us? You knew what ASR was about before you came here.

So you are, literally, just here to troll then?

I mean this is really one of the more obvious ones. Not even any understanding of how to troll properly.

 

[xray]

I mean this is really one of the more obvious ones. Not even any understanding of how to troll properly.

Joined Thursday, fresh from the troll factory so may need some burn in time to troll properly.

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

glory hole

Nooooooooo …. am I the only one who had to look that up?

 

[Roland68]

Nooooooooo …. am I the only one who had to look that up?

Yes, you were. At least you're no longer surprised by those holes at hip level; they've only been around for over 300 years.

But I can make things even worse for you: ask your wife or girlfriend if she knows what they are...

 

[Roland68]

I would like to buy a quality American made (or assembled) ~200 watt/channel stereo amp. The American assembled amps using the Hypex and Purifi modules are in the range and have been testing well on Audio Science Review. However, there are no reviews of the Class D Audio GAN FET Amps. Has anyone here had experience with Amps from this manufacturer?

I bought a Topping D50 iii last month and played some downloaded HiRes recordings through the USB port on my Windows 11 computer. “Wow” DAC’s have improved! Especially at the $250 level. Thanks ASR Members.

To get back to the original topic...

First, familiarize yourself with GaN technology and its differences from conventional MOSFETs. You'll then encounter two important points.
GaNFETs have their real advantages under high loads and, even more importantly, under continuous/constant loads.
And these two points are precisely what's counterproductive for audio amplifiers, something manufacturers conveniently forget to mention.

The otherwise lower power dissipation of GaN technology also doesn't apply here. If it were, it could easily be demonstrated in a real-world test through a direct comparison. That would be fantastic advertising for GaN amplifier manufacturers.
And this is precisely where the gap between advertising and reality lies. Good Class D amplifiers already operate at an efficiency of 90-93%. Aside from the fact that an improvement is highly unlikely for the reasons mentioned above, it would only amount to 0.5-1%, if that. And that's only during operation under high loads, not at idle.
Would that really matter?

You don't say which brands you've tried or are considering. However I have a pair of Atma-Sphere Class D GanFET amps. They sound very good indeed. I also have a NAD M33 that uses the Purifi Eigentakt Class D amp, again very good indeed.

My main concern is how amplifiers sound when powering my Avantgarde Duo XD speakers and not with their measurements. I want to hear as near as possible the sound and excitement factor of the original performance. I previously had an exceptionally good measuring amp from an American brand that sounded not a patch on either of the amps I currently own. I can highly recommend both the Atma-Sphere and NAD amps. I hope this helps.

Especially with such efficient loudspeakers that have such low power consumption, GaN-based amplifiers are, for the reasons mentioned above, absolutely the worst choice.

 

[Ropeburn]

ask your wife or girlfriend if she knows what they are...

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

But I can make things even worse for you: ask your wife or girlfriend if she knows what they are.

Will do, I’ll report back …

 

[Hear Here]

Especially with such efficient loudspeakers that have such low power consumption, GaN-based amplifiers are, for the reasons mentioned above, absolutely the worst choice.

I don't recognise your reasons saying this. Have you actually experienced the Atma-Sphere amp powering high sensitivity speakers? Apparently not, if you believe that this is a poor match - it is a good match. I'm sure Ralph will agree

The Atma-Sphere amp is 100 watts and Avantgarde recommends - wait for it - 100 watts. Although I have never turned the volume control to maximum, I’ve often use much of this amp's power. It never does any harm to use a more powerful amp than is strictly-speaking necessary and I had earlier (before buying the A-S) been using a Purifi Eigentakt-based amp that delivers twice the power of the A-S. Both amps sound great and were chosen after carefully home demo'ing (not by looking at specs or a PC screen of measurements) a dozen high quality solid state amps after I decided to move away from SETs.

 

[Buckeye Amps]

I don't recognise your reasons saying this. Have you actually experienced the Atma-Sphere amp powering high sensitivity speakers? Apparently not, if you believe that this is a poor match - it is a good match. I'm sure Ralph will agree

The Atma-Sphere amp is 100 watts and Avantgarde recommends - wait for it - 100 watts. Although I have never turned the volume control to maximum, I’ve often use much of this amp's power. It never does any harm to use a more powerful amp than is strictly-speaking necessary and I had earlier (before buying the A-S) been using a Purifi Eigentakt-based amp that delivers twice the power of the A-S. Both amps sound great and were chosen after carefully home demo'ing (not by looking at specs or a PC screen of measurements) a dozen high quality solid state amps after I decided to move away from SETs.

I believe his reasoning is because of these points:

GaNFETs have their real advantages under high loads and, even more importantly, under continuous/constant loads.

I do not think he meant worst choice as in "you'll have the worst performance/sound" but more so (as I took it based on my understanding) that paying a premium for a GaN amplifier would be the worst choice since the use case scenario will not utilize any of the potential GaN advantages.
I.E - if you have very efficient speakers and are barely using any power, the main advantage GaN brings (higher efficiency under higher loads) is moot.

A properly operating/implemented GaNFET amplifier will sound identical to a properly operating/implemented MOSFET amplifier. So the only real advantage GaN brings for consumer amplifiers is their higher efficiency but that is only relevant at high loads. So why pay more?

 

[Hear Here]

A properly operating/implemented GaN amplifier will sound identical to a properly operating/implemented Class D amplifier

But not all Class D amps sound identical or equally good. Not by any means.

I have has a number of Class D amps in my system and there's as much difference in Class D as any other class. There's even a significant diffence between an amp based on a Purifi Eval(uation) board compared with an amp using a built-under-license Purifi board. The first will cost much less and will sound less good. I'm sure the same applies to GanFET amps

 

[Purité Audio]

Yes, the more expensive the better it is.
Keith

 

[Buckeye Amps]

But not all Class D amps sound identical or equally good. Not by any means.

I have has a number of Class D amps in my system and there's as much difference in Class D as any other class. There's even a significant diffence between an amp based on a Purifi Eval(uation) board compared with an amp using a built-under-license Purifi board. The first will cost much less and will sound less good. I'm sure the same applies to GanFET amps

Hence the term "properly operating/implemented".

And no, different Purifi amps do not sound different unless one of them is operating well out of normal behavior/parameters. Same applies to GaN. Same applies to Class A/AB. Measurements don't lie. We literally just had this discussion above.