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Post by Boomzilla on Sept 11, 2017 15:13:46 GMT -5
I absolutely believe both lehighvalleyjeff and klinemj when they say their Class D amps are "ready for prime time." But until I hear a good one for myself, y'all will have to pardon my skepticism. All my experience with Class D has been with Crown & Lyngdorf. The first, firmly in the "pro" camp - they sounded OK, but nothing special. The second (the Lyngdorf) had rave reviews, but again, didn't ultimately do it for me. Maybe one day I'll get to hear one of the "Class D Uber-Mensch" amps for myself. Until then, I'll politely pass, thanks. |
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Post by 405x5 on Sept 11, 2017 16:43:42 GMT -5
No No, I said 400 watts at 8 ohm rms driven into 5 channels continuous.......In one "box". Bill Ok, got it, but there are very few A/B amps that will do that; the XMR-5 was one of the few I'm aware of. Mine does....and I LOVE it 😍 Bill |
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Post by lehighvalleyjeff on Sept 11, 2017 19:18:14 GMT -5
I absolutely believe both lehighvalleyjeff and klinemj when they say their Class D amps are "ready for prime time." But until I hear a good one for myself, y'all will have to pardon my skepticism. All my experience with Class D has been with Crown & Lyngdorf. The first, firmly in the "pro" camp - they sounded OK, but nothing special. The second (the Lyngdorf) had rave reviews, but again, didn't ultimately do it for me. Maybe one day I'll get to hear one of the "Class D Uber-Mensch" amps for myself. Until then, I'll politely pass, thanks. I think a piece missing to this puzzle is matching the amp specifically to your speakers. One size does NOT fit all. Legacy Audio made that amp and did so intending to use it to tune and drive their demo speakers. If I put that same amp on my Paradigm Studios I'm a bit underwhelmed. |
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Post by novisnick on Sept 11, 2017 19:21:35 GMT -5
I absolutely believe both lehighvalleyjeff and klinemj when they say their Class D amps are "ready for prime time." But until I hear a good one for myself, y'all will have to pardon my skepticism. All my experience with Class D has been with Crown & Lyngdorf. The first, firmly in the "pro" camp - they sounded OK, but nothing special. The second (the Lyngdorf) had rave reviews, but again, didn't ultimately do it for me. Maybe one day I'll get to hear one of the "Class D Uber-Mensch" amps for myself. Until then, I'll politely pass, thanks. I think a piece missing to this puzzle is matching the amp specifically to your speakers. One size does NOT fit all. Legacy Audio made that amp and did so intending to use it to tune and drive their demo speakers. If I put that same amp on my Paradigm Studios I'm a bit underwhelmed. Very good point! Thanks for the comparative as well. |
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Post by lehighvalleyjeff on Sept 11, 2017 19:21:50 GMT -5
I will be the first to admit that for the past several years I've had my own prejudices against Class D ICE amplifiers. They aren't big and heavy like my XPR-1's and they aren't inefficient heat generators like my tube amps. Heck, I figured at best they might try to sound nearly as good as a class A/B design. They are cheaper so they must cut corners on sound quality. I believed this whole-heartedly until this evening when I installed my new Class D ICE amp into my system. My expectations were low and I sort of planned to just send it back after trying it out because it's only 20 pounds. How can this thing sound good? I unplugged my XPR-1's and popped the Legacy Audio Powerbloc2 in my system. The first 3 seconds of Steely Dan proved all my arrogant prejudices wrong. The sound of this thing is in a different league sonically than any other amp I've had in my system. Best part is I was listening to Spotify 320kb compression and was blown straight out of my seat. Further the sonic cues and details of where in the soundstage each instruments are more realistic. First and foremost the sound was full and natural like the instruments were being played in front of me. Not the highs, mids or lows stood out. Everything blended with a sense of live realism. The bass extension was never light on the XPR's but there is a sense of realism to bass guitar and cello sounds that gives the Legacy a clean edge. Voices, both male and female have an incredible sense of realism even beyond the tube amps I've used. Not artificially smooth but again, more real and lifelike. I'm hearing the artist's breath between words. My ears are very sensitive to bright and foreward treble. For lack of a better word I will say many solid state amps I've had problems with metallic tin sounding treble. The highs literally shimmer and naturally decay in the room as if the instruments are being played right in front of me. Finally the timbre's of instruments sounds so real I can almost see them playing in front of me. In conclusion I take back all of my skepticism and negativity about Class D. I unfairly came to a conclusion without trying it out. When well implemented any amplifier design can sound exceptional! The topology is only relevant in how well it's implemented which directly affects the sound quality of such an amp. Thanks for the impressions. Keep them coming. After leaving everything in my main 2-channel system stagnant for a few years, I'm starting to experiment again. Picked up a Nuforce STA-200 (was okay, didn't thrill me, sent it back), and a Schiit Vidar (nice amp). I don't think I have a Legacy dealer in GA, so where did you audition/purchase? (the only Class D I've ever listened to were the small T-amps years ago) Legacy has a few dealers but I've bought direct from Legacy. If you call them they are pretty easy to work with and offer a reasonable return policy. |
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Post by audiosyndrome on Sept 11, 2017 19:59:20 GMT -5
There are also the Merril Audio Veritas Monoblocks quite pricey also...What a joke!  Heard all of Merrill's amps (he's in our club). They sound great regardless of their price. ✔️ Russ |
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Post by Casey Leedom on Sept 11, 2017 23:13:06 GMT -5
Both the Mola Mola Kaluga and the Merril Audio Veritas Monoblock are based on the Hypex NC1200 that Bruno developed.
Casey
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klinemj
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Official Emofest Scribe
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Post by klinemj on Sept 12, 2017 3:45:02 GMT -5
Both the Mola Mola Kaluga and the Merril Audio Veritas Monoblock are based on the Hypex NC1200 that Bruno developed. Casey Yes, and for a fraction of the price, you can have the NC400's and the blissful sound (just with less power and a less cool name...hey...telling friends you own a "Mola Mola Kaluga" and being able to keep a straight face is worth something, right?) Mark |
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Post by Casey Leedom on Sept 12, 2017 7:07:05 GMT -5
Yes, my friend to whom I gave the Hypex NC400 kits absolutely loves them.
Casey
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