Class D amps

[babadono]

On 3/27/2024 at 4:26 PM, Dave MacKay said:

if I turn the gain up high I will hear a hiss.

if you don't you're deaf or your speakers are inefficient

[Dave MacKay]

2 hours ago, babadono said:

if you don't you're deaf or your speakers are inefficient

Nope. Good amps and proper gain matching = low hiss, even with efficient speakers. 

[geezin']

I get no hiss from my Topping PA3s/Heresy 1.

[babadono]

no hiss, absolutely none? Check if it is powered up

I'm talking stick your ear in the tweeter horn..you don't hear anything?

[geezin']

I use it as a power amp all the way up all the time using Schiit Saga preamp for volume. Turned off the music,turned the Saga all the way pulled the grill and stuck my ear in the tweeter. Nada. My hearing fades @ 15Khz so it may be that but as far as my ears go nothing.

[gigantic]

12 hours ago, geezin' said:

I get no hiss from my Topping PA3s/Heresy 1.

i get no his from my 4 Fosi ZA3 mono blocks and EL84 valve amp and 3-way horns. I'm also using a Thomann T. Racks DSP FIR 408 active crossover and a Schiit Freya + pre. I had been getting a slight amount of hiss with my Alesis RA150 mono blocks and Schiit Rekkr amps that I'd used previously.

[What-watt]

https://www.schiit.com/products/rekkr
 

Hi

 

those are very affordable! Got a pair and do a very musical job

 

i even hook them on my not efficient 86db Elipson and they played well, knobs at 80%

 

and with my Klipsch, one was enough
 

i intend to try tube preamp

https://www.schiit.com/products/saga-2
 

and the

 

NOS DAC

https://www.schiit.com/products/modi-multibit-2

 

Regards

 

also hook them to a UPS ( battery powersuply) great to have music when no electricity!

Edited June 19, 2024 by Zink_e
Typo

[babadono]

I guess I just have a noisy system

[the real Duke Spinner]

22 hours ago, Dave MacKay said:

Nope. Good amps and proper gain matching = low hiss, even with efficient speakers. 

Thank You   People totally miss this. 😔

[geezin']

6 hours ago, babadono said:

I guess I just have a noisy system

Nah probably better hearing. Guns,motorcycles and rock concerts all put a hurtin' on mine.

[babadono]

1 hour ago, the real Duke Spinner said:

Thank You   People totally miss this. 😔

low yep, none? not in my experience.

[the real Duke Spinner]

1 hour ago, geezin' said:

Nah probably better hearing. Guns,motorcycles and rock concerts all put a hurtin' on mine.

Same here 50 years in Bands

Cycles since 13

Gutted exhaust of course

Dirt Track racing

Need I continue??

What. dija say  😀😀😀

[Wardsweb]

I have run D-class in different systems without issue. The latest are Gilmore Raptor amps and Opera Audio Consonance M12 Barque speakers (97dB). This is a dead quiet setup. I have also run a couple of different 2A3 amps in this setup. I do find sensitive speakers are unforgiving with tube amps. You will hear the slightest bit of hum. The Jubilee speakers in my den are very sensitive to hum.

 

[the real Duke Spinner]

On 6/19/2024 at 6:24 PM, geezin' said:

Nah probably better hearing. Guns,motorcycles and rock concerts all put a hurtin' on mine.

Me too Geez.

Similar choices in entertainment. 😀😀😀

[artto]

On 3/6/2024 at 6:58 PM, geezin' said:

I'm currently using a Topping PA3s to drive my Heresy 1 and KG SW sub. I like the stark nature of the pairing. It's clean a bit bright and very detailed. The passive sub I use does a good enough job for me as I'm not a big thumping bass fan. My hearing (trails off after 12kHz) may be why. Most of my listening is streaming via Spotify. All this has me intrigued if a significant improvement can be had by stepping up to a higher end/spec class D power amp. It'd be nice if I could keep it under $1K USD. Listen to just about anything. Rap and country are very rare other than that I'm old and tired of the same old same old. I expanded my listening to keep me from hating the music that drew me in in the first place.

 

So would it be money well spent? I forgot to mention I'm a cheap bastid thus will relentlessly hunt down a deal. Quality second hand is no problem to me.

 

I recently purchased a NAD M23. I am in awe. IMHO, this could be the end game for me. I find the M23, dare I say, "musical".

 

I have a lot of tube amps on hand. I haven't fired any of them up since getting the M23. Actually, I bought a NAD M66 preamp first. I used that for a couple months with 300B, EL34 & Decware SE84UFO. I feel no desire to hook any of those back up yet.

 

Bruno Putzeys & friends really hit it out of the park with this one. IMO this amp is a major step forward. A significant upgrade, which is not something I often attribute to a power amp.

 

I realize the M23 is way above your budget, but NAD makes something similar in their less expensive "Classic" line.

[kippy]

I have been researching Class D amps lately and it's been a rather fun research project to read through a decades worth of everyone's collective experience here. 

 

Do Class D amps generally provide a tighter bass response than say a McIntosh MC252? I am running a pair of Heritage Jubilee' speakers. I have an MC225 on HF duty and the MC252 on LF duty. Bass is thumpy but slightly muddy. I am exploring DIRAC to help solve room issues but also wondering if a Hypex NCx500 would sound any different than the MC252. I have already discovered that even though the Jubilee LF cabs are very efficient, they begin to clip at about 105db...yes, that is loud and I rarely listen at that volume, but every once in a while I like to scare the neighbors.

 

[What-watt]

On 6/19/2024 at 7:27 PM, the real Duke Spinner said:

Same here 50 years in Bands

Cycles since 13

Gutted exhaust of course

Dirt Track racing

Need I continue??

What. dija say  😀😀😀

Loud musiccccc!

[82 Cornwalls]

18 hours ago, kippy said:

I have already discovered that even though the Jubilee LF cabs are very efficient, they begin to clip at about 105db...

 

 

Something is not right if your amplifier is clipping at 105dBs.

[kippy]

The McIntosh sentry powerguard kicks in; I don't hear actual clipping on the McIntosh. I was fast and loose with my language.

 

I measured the DB on two devices at the same time (Decibelx on my iphone and a physical meter). The McIntosh meter was hitting 250 watts/channel as well. 

[kippy]

So just to be succinct, the LF cabinets don't "clip" or distort and neither does the McIntosh amp. I would guess one could throw more watts at the Jubilee LF cabs and they would play at their 300/1200 watt nominal/peak rating. It's the McIntosh amp that was running out of juice and the sentry/powerguard kicking in when the DB meter hit 105db and the wattage was pegged near 250 watts on the McIntosh display.