Recommended 5-channel Class D amp -- ATI, NAD, Nord, something else?

[Mikey]

So I have a 5.1 system, and I'm looking for an amp to drive the speakers and take the load off the Denon receiver that's doing all the prepro work.

It's in a semi-enclosed (open back) cabinet, so I don't want anything that runs too hot, which steers me away from Class AB and toward Class D. It needs RCA inputs, because the Denon doesn't have balanced outputs; it needs a 12V trigger; and it needs to be all five channels in a single box, I don't have the room to do a 3-channel + 2 channel thing. Also, and I hope this goes without saying, but I want something that'll be trouble-free, high-quality, and with good customer support.

The things I've been able to find that meet the bill are:

1. NAD M28. $5K, uses a custom Purifi implementation with a switching power supply. Generally well-regarded, 3 year warranty.

2. ATI 525NC. $3K, 5x NC500 with a linear power supply. Generally well-regarded, 7 year warranty.

3. Nord One MP custom amp. $2.1K with 2x NC502MP, 1x NC500MP, 2x NC252MP. It seems like something in there won't handle 400W amps for all channels (not sure what, since MP modules mean separate power supplies on each), and the case isn't large enough to fit five modules in, so it needs the stereo modules (ATI mounts the NC500 cards vertically with heatsinks on them; Nord, like most of the indie-hipster-artisan-small-batch amp crowd seems to just set their modules on the floor of the case, using that as a heatsink). I think Nord is well-regarded here, but they are a one-person shop with some reports of miswired amps, and I've never seen a mainstream review. 2 year warranty, and also they're British, so any service that required shipping would be a nightmare.

Based on this, Nord looks like a reasonable budget choice, but the extra money to go to ATI gets you a longer warranty, a longer track record, US-based service, more power to the rear channels, and whatever dubious benefit there is to an NC500 instead of an MP.

I left out Apollon because they don't have RCA inputs, plus their 3x NC252MP implementation costs the same as Nord's above (and yeah, has an extra channel, but 6 channels does nothing for me, since I'd still need something else if I went to 7 channels anyway). March Audio doesn't make multichannel amps. VTV seems too... "budget" to really consider.

Anything else that I should be thinking about? Anyone want to tell me that I'm being an idiot, and that class D isn't that much cooler than Class AB, and I should save a bunch of money and just get Monolith/Emotiva?

 

[andreasmaaan]

For lowest cost, three of these? (I hear what you're saying about space, but three of these are no bigger than the single-unit options you're looking at anyway.)

 

[theglobalelite]

For lowest cost, three of these? (I hear what you're saying about space, but three of these are no bigger than the single-unit options you're looking at anyway.)

That's what I did because I'm cheap as hell, haha. They run so cool, barely warm to the touch, you can stack a few of them.

 

[RMW_NJ]

I believe Cherry Amp also has a 5 channel amp now. They use proprietary modules, so not sure how good they are...but they do have a devoted following with positive reviews, for it’s worth.

 

[Mikey]

I believe Cherry Amp also has a 5 channel amp now. They use proprietary modules, so not sure how good they are...but they do have a devoted following with positive reviews, for it’s worth.

$3100, no RCA inputs, no 12v trigger, and kind of a no-name maker. I'm skeptical.

 

[Matias]

These
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...amplifier-builder-line-up-announcement.16835/

 

[Mikey]

For lowest cost, three of these? (I hear what you're saying about space, but three of these are no bigger than the single-unit options you're looking at anyway.)

Hmm, interesting. $1450 for three of those, and they are small. No 12v output, so I'd need to do some kind of 3-way splitter thing for that. It's only the 252NC, so to be fair, you'd want to compare that to an all-252 Nord, which is $1750, but still comes out cheaper. No info at all about warranty, and French company, so I think that amounts to "hope it doesn't break." Seems like a plausible budget option, at the least.

 

[andreasmaaan]

No info at all about warranty, and French company, so I think that amounts to "hope it doesn't break."

They seem to give a 2-year warranty. But yeh, that they're in the EU must be a factor (would be an easy decision for me here in Germany).

 

[Mikey]

These
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...amplifier-builder-line-up-announcement.16835/

Good price, but XLR inputs only and, uh, literally it's just a guy who's announced his intentions to sell but has made zero products, has no website, and has no track record of quality/support/anything. That feels a lot more like "paid someone else to do a DIY project for me" than buying an off-the-shelf just-works product.

 

[Bent Wookiee]

Sounds like D-Sonic might fit the bill?

https://www.d-sonic.com/

 

[andreasmaaan]

Sounds like D-Sonic might fit the bill?

https://www.d-sonic.com/

These are Pascal amplifiers. The datasheet actually includes quite detailed measurements.

 

[Mikey]

Sounds like D-Sonic might fit the bill?

I know there's definitely an enthusiastic D-Sonic fanbase, but $3300 is more expensive than ATI or Nord, and I haven't seen positive things about Pascal amps relative to Purifi/Ncore. Am I wrong about that?

 

[Bent Wookiee]

I know there's definitely an enthusiastic D-Sonic fanbase, but $3300 is more expensive than ATI or Nord, and I haven't seen positive things about Pascal amps relative to Purifi/Ncore. Am I wrong about that?

The Pascal are certainly less common, that is true. Can't speak to how they perform relative to the others in any empirical sense. I know DS does offer lower-power (to the extent 400Wx5 can be considered "low power") options that are less expensive, and I believe it was on AVS that I read additional models are due soon. Not sure what they will end up looking like however, but may be worth an inquiry if you are looking to buy soon.

 

[Matias]

The Pascal are certainly less common, that is true. Can't speak to how they perform relative to the others in any empirical sense. I know DS does offer lower-power (to the extent 400Wx5 can be considered "low power") options that are less expensive, and I believe it was on AVS that I read additional models are due soon. Not sure what they will end up looking like however, but may be worth an inquiry if you are looking to buy soon.

Pascal measures worst than NCore, more similar to non-ICEedge modules from ICEpower.

 

[Worth Davis]

I've had the D Sonics in room, they are great with a lot of power. honestly I can't tell the difference with amps these days, buy 2 and keep the one you like with in home trials or used.

 

[Mikey]

honestly I can't tell the difference with amps these days

That's really kinda my expectation with modern class D amps, at least, which is why mostly I'm focusing on warranty/ease of support, build quality, and cost as the differentiators.

 

[A.West]

I'd probably get the ATI. Amir reviewed its 2-channel cousin the AT522NC built with the same components, and recommended it. The main concern I would have is the 20 amp plug. With the current discount it's not much more than what the custom built 502mp based amps would cost.
I bet most of these will sound the same, unless you happen to get hum.

 

[andreasmaaan]

I've used Pascal amps quite extensively. They are not in the same league as Hypex or Purifi, but perform well enough that there is unlikely to be an audible difference IMO.

You can find the datasheets here. All their modules measure pretty similarly to each other within their operational limits, with the only significant differences being power, really.

The S-Pro is the most commonly used one in commercial offerings (e.g. D&D 8C). Here are its basic measurements (from the datasheet):

Can't really comment on reliability. They are widely used in commercial designs including PA, so I would imagine reliability to be good. I never had a problem with any unit once it was fitted and finished inside an enclosure. A couple of them died early on, but that was with them not enclosed, during prototyping in a dusty workshop.

 

[HighImpactAV]

$3100, no RCA inputs, no 12v trigger, and kind of a no-name maker. I'm skeptical.

Cherry amps come with XLR to RCA adaptors and are auto on/off for each channel. No trigger is necessary. I've owned Cherry amps and known Tommy O'Brien for 10 years now. He is a brilliant amp designer. I've used Cherry amps multiple times at both RMAF and AXPONA demo rooms and wouldn't use anything else. In the past, Tommy designed amps for Crest which were also used by Danley Sound Labs.

 

[AudioJester]

Cherry amps come with XLR to RCA adaptors and are auto on/off for each channel. No trigger is necessary. I've owned Cherry amps and known Tommy O'Brien for 10 years now. He is a brilliant amp designer. I've used Cherry amps multiple times at both RMAF and AXPONA demo rooms and wouldn't use anything else. In the past, Tommy designed amps for Crest which were also used by Danley Sound Labs.

Never come across this amp before. Are there any measurements?