D-Sonic M3a-600M Class-D Amplifier Review

[Waxx]

They are way to noisy in this actual class D market. Purify and Hypex amps with similar power numbers and price have way less noise. Pascal modules can do a lot better than this when used right. But here there is clearly something wrong with the implementation.

 

[shuppatsu]

Realistically I could sacrifice 2 out of 10,000 parts of my output to distortion and noise and I doubt anyone would be the wiser. I would care more about D-Sonic’s reputation for reliability and service.

 

[ryanmh1]

So it's a subwoofer amp. Or basically a Behringer iNuke NX6000D that costs more, has about half the power, doesn't do 20Hz [edit: on program material, it probably does--the power sweep at 20Hz is not a real world test, depending on the test duration], and doesn't have available DSP. On the plus side, it doesn't need a fan mod. Got it. Yawn. Buy an NX6000, swap the fans, and get 2 channels for $390 (+$40 for new fans) with the current wildly discounted price, or add $60 and get DSP. I'm tempted to get another one just in case mine ever breaks.

 

[fordiebianco]

So it's a subwoofer amp. Or basically a Behringer iNuke NX6000D that costs more, has about half the power, doesn't do 20Hz [edit: on program material, it probably does--the power sweep at 20Hz is not a real world test, depending on the test duration], and doesn't have available DSP. On the plus side, it doesn't need a fan mod. Got it. Yawn. Buy an NX6000, swap the fans, and get 2 channels for $390 (+$40 for new fans) with the current wildly discounted price, or add $60 and get DSP. I'm tempted to get another one just in case mine ever breaks.

Just heard of this thing for the first time: 2x3000 with DSP for $449?

What's the catch?

 

[ryanmh1]

Just heard of this thing for the first time: 2x3000 with DSP for $449?

What's the catch?

Isn't one, if you understand how it works and what you're getting. It doesn't do 2x3000 at all. It does less. 2000 maybe? Obviously, not continuously. But also note for just 1/1000th of a second. Few seconds or maybe just a second, probably. Obviously, amps like this are relying on the capacitors to supply power for short bursts. The 15A wall socket can't provide thousands of watts of output from an amplifier. Find the Youtube video on the NU6000 hooked to an amp dyno for real power. On program material, yes, you get crazy power for $400. With a nice side helping of distortion and possible noise. Kinda like the amp that was reviewed! I use it on subs, but I wouldn't be entirely surprised if the distortion was inaudible. Not sure what the SNR is, though. You also need to strip out the fans and replace with slower Noctua fans. They're loud. Lots of threads at other forums about this.

 

[fordiebianco]

Isn't one, if you understand how it works and what you're getting. It doesn't do 2x3000 at all. It does less. 2000 maybe? Obviously, not continuously. But also note for just 1/1000th of a second. Few seconds or maybe just a second, probably. Obviously, amps like this are relying on the capacitors to supply power for short bursts. The 15A wall socket can't provide thousands of watts of output from an amplifier. Find the Youtube video on the NU6000 hooked to an amp dyno for real power. On program material, yes, you get crazy power for $400. With a nice side helping of distortion and possible noise. Kinda like the amp that was reviewed! I use it on subs, but I wouldn't be entirely surprised if the distortion was inaudible. Not sure what the SNR is, though. You also need to strip out the fans and replace with slower Noctua fans. They're loud. Lots of threads at other forums about this.

Thank you,

very helpful response. Will keep an eye out for the thing if I ever get a passive subwoofer (or start a band).

 

[Haskil]

Thank you,

very helpful response. Will keep an eye out for the thing if I ever get a passive subwoofer (or start a band).

And in Europe, it is not worth this price but rather 700-800 euros when it is available.

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/inuke-6000-tested-on-the-amp-dyno.2757673/#post-51012305

Behringer inuke NU6000 vs KAM KXD7200 bench tested

I thought it was about time to put some figures down on what these budget class-D's can do so they...

forum.speakerplans.com

 

[Head_Unit]

So this thing...
- Has a boatload of peak power
- But doesn't match it's rated spec because
- Distortion is high, and residual noise is high
- Features (in my visual opinion also) inadequate heat sinking
Is that correct? And the alternatives like cheap Crown and Behringer are noisy in the audio signal and from their fans?
--> I think we are still waiting for something with really high power and truly "good" and inexpensive?
And likewise still waiting for a high-powered 3-channel that's not ≥$1000?

 

[Hangkyoo]

I have a lot of doubts about the rankings in the graph above. Some models are much more lifelike and sound better to my ears, but score lower than the Crown, and some are listed as Excellent even though they have a lot of distortion when the volume is turned up. I very much doubt that the person who wrote these reviews is an employee of the topping company or was paid by them.
Even if this review is honest, audiophiles are music listeners, not competition judges. Audio distortion that can be measured by a machine will be ignored unless it is felt by ears. The important factor in listening to music is not only the clean sound, but the sense of presence. A 120-watt amplifier may sound clean, but it will never reproduce the sense of presence that comes from larger speakers. It's only when you get to 400 watts or more that you can produce that sense of dynamic presence. This is why theater speakers prioritize power over distortion. I would take a 400W D-sonic over a 120W Topping LA90 that hit 120 points. If you have good music source and premium preamp, and tune correctly with Good EQ, D-sonic will produce great powerful sound like live concert ( also sound is very clean too - can never bit with crown or Emotiva in my ears) Trust your ears, not the machine!

 

[muslhead]

Inquiring minds want to know .....
Is it better to let the trolls peacefully coexist and not feed them or to beat them into submission with comments and hope they disappear?

 

[BDWoody]

Inquiring minds want to know .....
Is it better to let the trolls peacefully coexist and not feed them or to beat them into submission with comments and hope they disappear?

First choice is generally to ignore. If they become persistent, and start regularly polluting threads they may need to be addressed more directly.

That said...

. I very much doubt that the person who wrote these reviews is an employee of the topping company or was paid by them.

The person who wrote these reviews is the founder/owner of this site, so you are correct. He is certainly not an employee of Topping. What a strange comment.

For more information about him, see here:

A bit about your host....

This is a bit about your host, Amir Majidimehr. I am writing this as to give more context to people reading my technical reviews and measurements. I have realized that without this context, many assume I am yet another blogger spitting out graphs. That is very true but let’s see if we can...

www.audiosciencereview.com

. I would take a 400W D-sonic over a 120W Topping LA90 that hit 120 points.

120 points? You really have no idea what you are looking at do you.

Are you just here to attack our host and complain about what you clearly don't understand?

Even if this review is honest, audiophiles are music listeners, not competition judges.

Even if the review is honest? You really need to consider how you are coming across before you continue on this track.

Discussion in good faith is welcome. This kind of weird, uninformed commentary based on ignorance is not going to lead anywhere but out the door quickly.

 

[john65b]

Wow. A troll simply because he likes Pascal? Should someone resist the urge to post here if contrary to majority opinion?

I have Class D amps based on Pascal T-Pro, Icepower 1000ASP, Tripath TA0103A, Hypex UCD400 and NCore NC400 based amps. All of these amps sounded way better to me than my Crown XLS2500 on all speakers I had.

An amp like the Pascal would work great on difficult speakers like 1 ohm Apogee Scintillas, Magnepan Tympani T-IVa, Martin Logan CLS, or Acoustat 2+2 (these are the only speakers that drove my ICEPower 1000ASP mono amps into protection on music, not sine waves).

I would never use the expensive NC400 on any of these speakers (even if it is my favorite) as it would likely be destroyed, and expensive to replace. The UCD400 is also a gamble, but fortunately easier to replace cheaply or repair. I loved the combo of Quad ESL-63 on the NC400! But the Quads are an easier load than most ESLs.

In summary, (in my experience):

Hypex NCore - delicate, and expensive to repair or replace modules (Hypex NCore support cannot help much due to complexity)
Hypex - UCD easy to repair or cheap to replace modules (Hypex UCD support is great - Jos, Jeffery)
Icepower/Pascal - more robust and reliable on difficult speakers (haven't destroyed one yet)