[santacore]

With all this talk of NCore's and Class D amps, I wanted to get everyone's opinion on how to best match your digital amp to a power conditioner. The conditioner I use has a separate side for digital gear and analog gear. So my question is, do I plug in my Class D audio amp into the analog side or the digital side? In the past the analog side has always been for amps/preamps, and the digital side for CD players and DAC's. What do you guys think?

[Speedskater]

I don't think that an Ncore needs any power conditioning at all.

[cheap-Jack]

Hi.

The conditioner I use has a separate side for digital gear and analog gear. So my question is, do I plug in my Class D audio amp into the analog side or the digital side?  

You should use the digital side only.

Never share anlague same powerline or power strip/outlets with any digitals. .
Otherwise, RFI discharged from the digital equipment, e.g. class D amp will go into yr analogue equipment via the power cords.

c-J

[mjosef]

To date...I have never met a Digital component that didn't benefit from conditioning.
I haven't 'met' the Ncore amp yet, but soon will, and then one can offer a valid opinion.
THe ClassD Audio amp I have needed power conditioning even though it had a linear power supply.
Take into consideration the power consumption of whatever unit you are using when selecting the 'digital' outlets of the particular conditioner, oftentimes those outputs are geared to lower wattage consumption components.

[roscoeiii]

With amps in general, many power conditioners have been known to limit dynamics, so it is often recommended that amps be plugged right into the wall, with all the other equipment into a conditioner.

I chose my Running Springs conditioner because it was reported to not limit dynamics even for amps plugged in, and have found that to be the case in my system.

For the ncore, why not ask over in the DIYAudio forum? A decent chance that Bruno himself will reply.

[cheap-Jack]

Hi.

(1) With amps in general, many power conditioners have been known to limit dynamics,
(2) so it is often recommended that amps be plugged right into the wall, with all the other equipment into a conditioner.

(1) Yes, many powerline conditioners affect sound. Just listen with & without it to find if any loss of music. The problem is when one spends a bundle to acquire one, it is difficult for that person to admit the conditioner is worse than without. Human nature weakness, I think.

(2) NO, don't plug the power amp direct to the wall outlet. My way is to use a simple yet quality inline power filter (mine are all made in England, with RFI insertion loss 52dB ast 32MHz.) dedicated for my tube phono-preamp & tube power amp.

LESS active electronics on the powerline, e.g. adding a hi-teck power conditioner, better will be the music, IME.

c-J

[santacore]

The unit I own is the Exactpower EP15A http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/exactpower_ep15a.htm , which I guess is more of a re-generater then a conditioner. It's a great sounding unit that I never felt limited anything I plugged in. My question is how to best use it in the context of these new digital amps.

[roscoeiii]

I am not recommending one way or the other. But limting dynamics is one criticism of conditioners with regards to amps, and some amp manufacturers recommend plugging amps directly into the wall.

[Elizabeth]

Have to agree the usual 'digital' output areas of power conditioners are NOT for amps just because they are not designed for heavy current usage. (and even though a class D amp is efficient, they still use way more power than a Cd or DVD or DAC does.
So just for that reason, IF you want to plug the amp into a conditioner, do so into an outlet for amps.

I have my Bryston 4B-SST2 from a Furman REF20i conditioner and like it.

Finally just because some other person says they do not like it one way or the other, does not make them an authority..
(Just commenting inside my head.. don't mind me.....)
Really most of the time you have to just TRY it and see if YOU like it or not. 

[golfugh]

A Class D amp is not digital

[santacore]

A Class D amp is not digital

This is true, and I keep forgetting it. These truly are just analog amplifiers with a very unique circuit. Duh!

[cheap-Jack]

Hi.

This is true, and I keep forgetting it. These truly are just analog amplifiers with a very unique circuit. Duh!

Unless one wants to move a outdoor rock concert indoor & drive away its neighbours with a 1,000W class D amp cranking up to 110dB SPL!!

Class D amp is so complicated to build right, surely not a viable home-brew project of everage DIYers. No, the amp itself is not "digital", but it is not an linear amp either as it uses pulse wide modulation PWM topology working on analogue-to-square-waves pulses.

For serious HD listening, a very complex global negative feedback from the loudspeaker O/P point to the I/P sinewave-to-squarewave modulaton stage is needed to correct the timing errors of the switching power stage.

It is a huge can of worms to handle technically & soncially. IMO, I'll not touch it.

c-J