[geowak]

In 2006, the Absolute Sound magazine wrote an article on Class D amplification and it's future. The audio designers/engineers, such as Jeff Rowland, Dan D'Agostino, Bruno Putzeys, and the staff concluded that Class D was on the verge of doing great things. The products they tested were amps from ARC, JRDG, Kharma, Channel Islands Audio, NuForce, Red Dragon Audio, Cary Audio and Spectron. Now in late 2013, I am curious from others here at AC, has Class D arrived as a true alternative to Class A amps, Class A, A/B, SET amps, or other Tube designs. Are they superior?

Your thoughts.... (let's keep it civil and polite)

[this_is_vv]

In 2006, the Absolute Sound magazine wrote an article on Class D amplification and it's future. The audio designers/engineers, such as Jeff Rowland, Dan D'Agostino, Bruno Putzeys, and the staff concluded that Class D was on the verge of doing great things. The products they tested were amps from ARC, JRDG, Kharma, Channel Islands Audio, NuForce, Red Dragon Audio, Cary Audio and Spectron. Now in late 2013, I am curious from others here at AC, has Class D arrived as a true alternative to Class A amps, Class A, A/B, SET amps, or other Tube designs. Are they superior?

Your thoughts.... (let's keep it civil and polite)

My experience with Ncore is nothing more then positive , it shows how good or bad recording so far no mood to look for alternatives

V

[sharpsuxx]

Having heard a lot of the offerings from all of the above I would say class d amps are not quite there yet. There are a few offerings that sound great including the beloved ncores and d-sonic among many others.  Unfortunately to most people's ears, good sound isn't as simple as reproducing a waveform.  As I stated before I have heard many great sounding class d amps but I have yet to hear a digital amp at any price point that can reproduce the engagement with the music that a great class a or tube amp can.  Mind you for a much lower price point you can get a digital amp with much greater macro dynamics and much lower noise floor than comparable class a or tube gear, but that isn't the whole battle  But given the funds and the patience to find the best class a or tube set up to your ear vs the best class d has to offer most experienced ears would be hard pressed to swing toward the class d set up over the alternative.  That is not to say digital will never be there, it just isn't there yet.

[Freo-1]

As one of the last holdouts against Class D, I would have to say they have indeed become competitive with other types of amplifier class employed.  I'm currently auditioning the latest ICE ASP 500 modules (250 watts @ 8 ohms, 500 watts @ 4 ohms).  While I still am not completely satisfied with the upper treble, the overall clarity and power provided does make for a very enjoyable presentation. 
The latest offerings from D-Sonic are (allegedly) even better sounding still.     I still prefer high power tube amps, but given the overall cost of those, Class D makes a lot of sense.

[bladesmith]

I would think a nice tubed preamp would marry up with a class D nicely...

[*Scotty*]

Here is a 15 page thread covering the same question dating from 26 Apr 2012, http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=105826.0
Given that a number of companies, not counting majors like Panasonic, have committed significant capital towards developing OEM solutions as well as consumer level products, I would say that the technology is financially viable at this point. Like any other approach to audio amplifier design, including non-switching analogue designs, it will also occasionally spit out an amplifier that is worthy of serious consideration by an audiophile. No amplifier technology today is universally accepted by all audiophiles as their specific cup of tea. I doubt that there will ever be a consensus on this subject.
Scotty